MRLD
by Firehawk242
Summary: I'm stuck in this world with no easy way out, but maybe by becoming a Huntsman I can find my way home. If I can survive my team's antics, the recent increase in Grimm activity, and everything else at Beacon. First-person OC, set roughly ten years after the start of RWBY.
1. Welcome to Beacon!

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. That would be Monty Oum and the people over at Rooster Teeth.**

**This is my first RWBY story so I'm not sure how this story is going to work just yet. But then, I never do. Welcome to the improvisation station everyone, the train is leaving now. We will now commence with making stuff up as we go.**

I stepped off the airship as it landed at Beacon. Seeing the building brought my mission back to the forefront of my mind. "Three years." I said to myself. "Three years and you're still here. Accept it. You may never get back home.

"No, I can't do that." I argued with myself. "I have to keep trying.

"You don't even know how you got here, so how are you going to get back?

"I'll think of something!"

"Are you just going to stand there talking to yourself or are you going to get moving?" a voice from behind me demanded. I turned and almost did a double take. She looked almost exactly like Weiss Schnee, albeit a decade younger. Everything was there, from the long, white, off-center ponytail to the white dress, excuse me, "combat skirt", to the revolver rapier at her waist. The face was a bit different, but aside from that it was like looking at a younger version of Weiss.

"Sorry, I was preoccupied." I extended a hand. "Kevin Malder."

"Lily Andell." She did not take my hand. "Aren't you a bit old to be starting at Beacon?"

"Yes." I said through gritted teeth.

"Were you held back or something?"

"No." I really didn't like this line of questioning.

"Then why?"

"Which response would you like?" I asked. "I could say it's a long and complicated story. I could say you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Or I could say it's really none of your business. Any of which would be completely factual."

"Fine." She walked off.

That might have been a bit harsh. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

I headed towards Beacon's main hall where I would be staying tonight, along with all the other new students. Ruby had made a point of giving me a map so I wouldn't get lost. I have no idea why she keeps after me. After all, I'm not her responsibility or anything.

Even if I do owe her my life. My mind flashed back to that day, three years ago.

* * *

><p>It was a gorgeous day. Summer had only just settled in and the heat and energy was infectious. School was out, I had nothing I needed to do, and the weather was beautiful. A perfect day for a hike in the park. I gathered up my hiking gear, left a note for my mom explaining where I was going, and set off for the park. It wasn't far, easy walking distance. Perfect for when I just had to get out of the house and move.<p>

The park was huge, covering acres of rolling hills, bubbling streams, and mysterious forests. Paths spread out from the park's entrance, but I ignored them. No sissy hiking trail for me, I was going to make my own!

I reached the edge of one of the small forests and strode straight in. My hiking stick in one hand, I forged deeper and deeper into the trees. The ground crunched beneath my heavy boots as I started up a hill. I'd been over every inch of this hill before, but because of the enviornment around it, it always seemed like there was something new to find.

Today however there really was something new. At thetop of the hill was a small clearing. Usually it was empty, but today there was something there. A circle of stones such as one might use to mark the grave of a pet lay in the grass.

"Huh." I grunted, slightly perplexed. It seemed an odd place to bury a pet. None of the paths led to it, and it wasn't even a particularly scenic location. Well, it wasn't my problem. I looked at the stones and noticed that one of them seemed out of place, like maybe a raccoon had overturned it looking for worms.

That was when I made my mistake. It was an honest one, and I suspect I'd make it again today if presented with the same situation, but it was still a mistake. I bent down and pushed the stone back into place, closing the circle. The world seemed to vanish before my very eyes, only to be replaced with a snowy vista. The summer warmth vanished and I started shivering.

"What the-" was all I got out before my day went from weird to awful. The park did have the occasional bear in it, but the wolf-like thing that burst from the trees to charge at me was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Its size was terrifying enough, but the thing was also armored and bipedal. I started to back away, but was interrupted by a red blur.

A woman dressed like a gothic Little Red Riding Hood appeared in front of me carrying what I instantly dubbed The Scythe of Doom, Destruction, and Despair. The wolf creature fell to the ground in two pieces, cleanly cut in half by that monstrous weapon.

* * *

><p>My memories had taken me to the door, so I entered. I don't really remember all that much about the opening ceremony, save that it was brief. Ozpin gave a speech and then everybody was released. I did my best to avoid attention, sneaking off into a corner of the massive hall as soon as I could. I pulled a book out of the pack I was carrying. I opened it up and was about to start reading when something bright red invaded my space.<p>

"Hiya!" the girl in red said. Her pants, shirt, and hair all matched, each being the exact same shade of blindingly bright red that made her almost painful to look at. The lack of variety didn't exactly help either. "I'm Rachel! Rachel Charlotte!"

"...Kevin Malder." I said, wary. There was a nervous energy about this girl that put me on edge.

"Aren't you a bit old to be starting at Beacon?" she asked. "Were you held back?"

I sighed. "No, I was not held back. The real story is long, complicated, and you wouldn't believe it in the first place, so please leave me alone."

"Awww, how do you know what I'll believe?" she asked, a pleading expression covering her face. "Tell me, tell me, tell meeeee!"

I groaned. She was getting really annoying. "Alright, short version, I'm an alien from another dimension." That should get rid of her. It usually did. Even if it was the truth.

"Cool!"

That... was not the reaction I was expecting.

"Is that why you're reading a boring old history book before classes even start? Because you want to learn about this world?"

Okay, that was scary. This girl was clearly smarter than her childish antics had lead me to believe.

"Yeah, that's it."

"That's cool." She paused for a moment to consider, then asked her next question. "So how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"How long have you been here?"

"Three years." I didn't want to admit it, but it felt... nice to be able to tell someone my story. Up until now I'd only ever told the people who absolutely needed to know. Team RWBY knew of course, they were the ones who brought me in, and they'd helped me explain the situation to the headmaster at Signal, but that was about it. Oh, and Professor Ozpin knew. And now this girl.

"So, what's your world like?" she asked.

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Yes. Yes she does." I looked up. And up. And up some more before my eyes finally came across the face of the man who had spoken. I'm fairly tall in my own right, but this man made me feel downright short. The dark blue afro on his head didn't exactly help either. "David Marin." He offered me a hand the size of a shovel.

"Kevin Malder." My hand vanished into his as we shook.

"Aren't you a little old to be starting at Beacon?" the inevitable question came.

"Yes, I'm-"

"He's an alien from another dimension!" Rachel blurted out.

"...Yeah. That. I'm from another world."

He looked me over. "I believe you." he said.

Again, not in the category of reactions I expected.

"Why?"

"Because you're not lying."

"And you know this how?"

"Call it intuition."

"David can always tell if someone's lying!" Rachel broke in.

"Sounds like a useful skill."

"It serves its purpose." he said. "Come on Rachel, we should give Kevin here some space."

"Thanks. See you at initiation." I picked up my book again.

"Seeya!"

"Good night."

Well that was very much unexpected. Maybe I'd end up on the same team as one of them. It would be nice not having to hide my secret.

I dove back into my book. You would think three years would be enough time to learn about the history of a place, at least, well enough to get by, and you'd probably be right. Unfortunately, history had ended up at the bottom of the list of things I had to learn about. Don't get me wrong, I like history, but practical matters came first. Between Dust, Grimm, Aura, and Semblances, I had plenty to learn about. And of course the last three years I'd been a student at Signal, where I'd learned how to fight. But now I knew I was going to have to learn. Signal had allowed me to skip the history classes as an allowance to my circumstances, which had also allowed me to complete the other courses a year ahead of schedule, but I was determined to make it at Beacon without any handicaps.

I grumbled to myself. How was history going to help me get home? It was interesting, sure, but not particularly useful. I shook myself. I'd spent three years of hard work to get into Beacon. I was already scheduled to spend another four years working to become a huntsman before I could even begin looking for a way home. It was only fair if I did my best to fit in in this foreign world in the meantime. I continued my reading. I had to finish the book by the end of the week, and tomorrow was initiation. I doubted I'd get much done that day so I had to get some extra reading in tonight. The last of the sun's light faded from the hall as my first day at Beacon ended.

**A/N: That's it for chapter one. One minor note, this story actually does follow Monty Oum's rules for creating RWBY characters. Even Kevin follows the rules. Everyone's name is associated with a color, although I had to get creative with a few of them.**

**So, good, bad, boring as sin? Leave a review and let me know. **


	2. Initiation: Part One- Landing Strategy

**Disclaimer: Still don't own RWBY.**

I groaned in complaint as I went to the locker where I had stored my weapon last night. I hate mornings, I really do. Why can't the day start at a reasonable time, like say, noon? It would be so much better for everyone involved. It might even bring about world peace. Who knows? At the very least, I wouldn't be getting dragged out of bed all the time.

"Good morning!" It was Rachel again. I swear, she just materialized out of thin air next to me with an unbearable grin on her face. How can anyone be that excited in the morning? And how on Remnant did she sneak up on me? The bright red color scheme should have given her away instantly. I chalked it up to my current half-awake state.

"Morning." I grumbled back, reaching into my locker. Why were these things built with rockets attached? Were they discarded prototypes from some space program? I pulled out my weapon.

"Oooh, what's that?" Rachel asked, bouncing on her feet. Where did she get that much energy from?

"My weapon." I began to unfold it out of its box-like storage form so I could attach it to my arm. The metal sheath went from my right wrist up to my shoulder and was held in place by various straps. A control glove was attached to my hand, allowing me easy use of the weapon. The machinery whirred smoothly as I flexed my arm, carefully checking it for any possible damage.

"What's it do?" I turned to face the speaker. David was back, apparently following Rachel around.

I grinned. I do take a certain pride in my work, and Molnair was my finest creation. "Stand back." I rotated my wrist in a quick, practiced motion, triggering the mechanisms in the weapon. A blade burst out in line with my forearm, shining duly in the light. I performed a few quick slashes with it before retracting the blade back into its sheath.

"Is that all?" It was that girl from yesterday, Lily Andell. "Such a boring and unimaginative design."

"Says the girl carrying a duplicate of someone else's weapon." I muttered. In a more normal tone of voice, I responded "No, but that's the part that's indoors friendly. Everything else tends to cause explosions."

"Oh, do tell?" Her air of superiority was quite impressive. However, unlike Weiss's, it didn't feel natural. Either way, it's still not a very pleasant trait to have.

"Well, I took some inspiration from Yang's weapon, Ember Celica, when I designed this." I double checked to make sure the safeties were all engaged and was about to explain when I was interrupted.

"Yang? Yang Xiao Long? Yang of Team RWBY?" Lily demanded, suddenly reduced to a wide eyed girl. "You've met Team RWBY?"

"Well, yeah." I responded. "Ruby was the one who pointed me to Signal and Beacon."

"Then you've met Weiss Schnee? What's she like?"

And suddenly it clicked. I was dealing with a fan girl, trying to imitate her idol. This was going to be interesting. Well, she asked a question so I might as well answer. "Cold, abrasive, snooty, obnoxious, and she wouldn't stop flirting with Ruby." That brought the conversation to a halt.

"Flirting?" David asked. "Everything I've ever heard says the two of them argue more than any other two partners in active service."

"That's true. And that's exactly what I'm talking about. They argue like an old married couple." Everyone just stared at me. Apparently old married couples weren't a thing in this world. It wouldn't be the first expression I'd discovered didn't exist here. "Okay, look. They argue all the time. From all outward appearances they can't stand each other. But they're still partners six years after graduation when they could have split up at any time. So why is that? It's because they aren't arguing because they really disagree, they're arguing for the sake of arguing. They're flirting."

"I do not understand." Rachel said with a very confused look. "Why would they argue if they like each other?" Her eyes crossed in confusion at the very idea.

"They like each other, but neither one wants to admit it. So they argue."

"That- That- That-" Lily had an even more confused look on her face than Rachel, something I would not have thought possible.

"What's the matter, Weiss Junior? Can't get your head around the idea of your idol crushing on another girl?"

"That's not it! I just- wait, Weiss Junior?"

"You dress like her, you try to act like her, and your weapon looks exactly like hers. Let me guess, she's the reason you decided to become a huntress."

Lily flushed but did not respond.

"I think that's enough for now." David said. "We have to get to initiation." He started towards the door and we all trailed along in his wake.

As we walked I looked around at the other students around me. Initiation, the first real day at Beacon. My mind flashed back again to another first day. My first day in this world.

* * *

><p>The woman in red who had rescued me from that wolf thing lead me through the woods to a small campsite. She had introduced herself as Ruby Rose, a "Huntress" who had graduated from some place called Beacon three years ago. She had then proceeded to introduce her weapon, Crescent Rose, which I found kind of odd. But then, she'd just saved my life from a "beowolf" so I really had no right to judge.<p>

Anyways, she lead me back to her camp where we were met by a trio of women, a blonde named Yang who was apparently Ruby's sister although I couldn't see the resemblance, a dark haired woman named Blake who surfaced from her book just long enough to greet me before returning to it, which I could respect, and the white haired Weiss, who looked at me as if I'd just crawled out of the ooze and had yet to evolve beyond the level of a mollusk, which I could have done without.

I must admit, I was still in a state of shock. Fortunately Ruby's rapid fire chatter had allowed me to just walk in stunned silence on the way here. Well, stunned shivering given that I was dressed for exercise in the summer, not a winter excursion, but you get the idea. However, now I was faced with someone who, from the looks of things, was going to demand answers.

"So, Ruby, who's your new friend?" Weiss demanded.

"His name is, uh, actually, I forgot to ask!" Ruby smiled.

"Honestly Ruby, you haven't matured at all since I met you!" Weiss turned on me. "Name. Now."

"Uh, Kevin, Kevin Malder." I offered a trembling hand. She did not take it.

"And why are you dressed like that?" Her imperious tone was not helping my already shattered nerves.

"Um, because it's summer, or at least it was an hour ago." Weiss blinked at me.

"So, greenie, what are you doing out here?" Yang asked.

"I was out hiking and, wait, what did you call me?"

"Greenie? Sorry, didn't mean to be rude."

"No, it's fine, but why did you call me that?"

"Because your hair is green?" she offered.

"What, my hair's not green!" I tried to see my hair but it was too short. "It's brown!"

The four women stared at me like I was insane.

"My hair's brown, right?" I asked, suddenly nervous. They shook their heads. "Uh, you don't happen to have a mirror, do you?"

Ruby handed me one of those makeup kits with the built-in mirrors. I opened it up and checked my reflection.

"My god. My hair is green." My mind seemed to detach from reality. "Why is my hair green?" I dropped the mirror.

"Um, is that a trick question?" Ruby asked.

"No!" I shouted, finally losing it. "My hair is green when it should be brown! It was summer an hour ago and now it's winter! And what on Earth was that thing that you killed?!"

"Earth?" Blake asked. "What's Earth?"

At that point I hit my limit. Between the cold, the confusion, and the hour long adrenaline rush I was dealing with, my brain simply shut down. The last thing I remember from that day was the scene fading to black as my knees buckled.

* * *

><p>I flashed back to the present. We had arrived at the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. I walked over to one of the launch pads and took my position. Ozpin and Goodwitch explained how partners would be assigned. Eye contact. Weirdest method ever, but sure. Why not? Then, one by one, they launched us into the sky.<p>

The flight was short, strenuous, and would probably break every law that could possibly relate to such things back on Earth, but here, they were considered perfectly valid teaching tools. Aura made many sins far more forgivable. I looked down. Tree coming up on the right! I extended Molnair's blade, sinking it into the wood and absorbing some of my momentum. This had the unfortunate and unplanned side effect of throwing me into a spin. The blade came loose from the wood and I spun through the forest. Reacting with a speed only Aura can provide, I swung my arm back and pressed a trigger in the glove. A blast of fire burst from the twin gun barrels housed just above the blade. The recoil evened out my spin, meaning I was back to hurtling through the forest face first.

"Oh, crap." Tree! Big tree! Right in front of me! Well then, it was time to cheat. I focused on my Semblance, activating that weird power this world had given me. The forest vanished for a moment as a vision of a field of flowers flashed across my eyes. Before I even had time to register the flowers I was back in forest, but now on the other side of the tree. Teleporting does have its uses, however imprecise it may be. I was a good four feet to the right of where I'd been aiming, but for once luck was on my side. I grabbed onto a convenient branch, bringing myself to a stop. I hung there for a moment before teleporting to the forest floor. This time I saw a frozen tundra as I transitioned between points. I was off again by a few feet, but at least I was on the ground and in one piece.

My current theory was that my Semblance had something to do with how I came to this world. I wasn't sure if it was my Semblance which was responsible for the event or if my Semblance had developed the way it had because of how I got here, but I strongly suspected the two were linked. It made too much sense. I had been pulled, or maybe pushed, from my world into this one. My Semblance let me skip through some other reality, or perhaps multiple other realities, and emerge somewhere else in this one. There had to be a connection.

Sort of like how the Ursa I had more or less landed on top of was trying to make a connection with my face. Great, five minutes in and I'm already fighting for my life.

**A/N: And there's chapter two. I'm not usually this fast at updating, but I like to start a new story with several chapters in quick succession so there's actually something worth reading. Expect things to slow down a bit once the story actually gets started.**


	3. Initiation: Part Two- Partners

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. **

I ducked under a massive paw and jumped backwards, once again cursing the fact that my semblance was pretty much unusable for combat. It was too imprecise which meant none of those cool teleporting attacks you see in cartoons.

Of course, that was why I had Molnair to begin with. I activated the blade as I landed, the eighteen inch blade shifting into position for battle. The Ursa roared at me and bowed it's head, preparing to charge. I jumped left, my Aura pushing my higher and farther than my body would have allowed, firing bullets from the two machine guns built into Molnair. Like most bullets in Remnant, these things used a Burn Dust powder charge which made them far more powerful than the bullets back on Earth. They had to be to take out Grimm. As far as I was concerned, the Grimm violated multiple laws of biology and the laws of thermodynamics, if not all of physics. They were big, tough, armored, and apparently they needed neither food nor rest, which meant they didn't get tired. They also were fairly resistant to pain, which was a colossal nuisance. It meant they could keep fighting long after the point where their bodies were effectively dead, which really didn't help. Mortally wounding the things wasn't enough if you wanted to survive. You had to put them down and make sure they stayed there.

My bullets struck home, causing the creature to roar at me before charging. I hadn't really hurt it yet, just made it mad. Time to fix that.

I waited for the last second before vaulting into the air, my Aura once again pushing me to heights that would make Olympic athletes jealous. The Ursa rumbled on past beneath me before slamming into a tree. The impact left it dazed, giving me a chance to strike. I flipped once in mid-air, bringing my weapon into proper position. I landed on the thing's back, burying the blade in the creature's neck. I opened fire with both machine guns, tearing the creature apart. Its neck disintegrated into shreds of flesh and the creature collapsed, dead.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Not the cleanest kill, but it would do. Suddenly I tensed. There was something behind me. I spun to find another Ursa charging at me. Oh, this was going to hurt. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for the impact.

It never came. Instead there was a loud sizzling sound and the sound of a large, fast moving object hitting the ground. I opened my eyes to see the Ursa lying at my feet, dead. I looked it over and found a pair of what looked like over sized needles. They were made of metal with little glass tubes that had shattered on impact. I noticed a faint yellow residue on one of the shards. Electric Dust. Someone had just rescued me, but I couldn't see them.

"Who's there?" I asked.

Rachel shimmered into view, directly in front of me. Or rather, the girl looked like Rachel. She certainly wasn't acting like Rachel though. With no wasted effort she calmly walked over to the Ursa and pulled out the needles. She carefully removed the shattered dust chambers, then placed one of them into each of the metal contraptions she had covering her forearms. I heard a whir of machinery and several clicking sounds which probably indicated that the darts had been reloaded. She did all of this without saying a single word.

"Hi." I said, somewhat thrown by the uncharacteristic behavior. "I take it this means we're partners."

"Yes." She wasted no words, simply turned to look in the direction of the temple. She pointed. "That way." She started walking.

"Uh, yeah." I followed her. This was not the Rachel I knew. Something was different. "Uh, Rachel, don't take this the wrong way, but are you feeling alright? You're not acting like yourself."

"The me you know is for fun. This me is for work."

Oookay, split personality much? Well, at least she was effective. There were worse people to be teamed up with. This might not be so bad.

"So, I take it your Semblance is invisibility?"

"Yes. Yours?"

"Teleportation."

"Useful."

"It can be. It's not precise enough to use in battle, although I'm hoping with some practice I can change that."

"How long?"

"How long do I think I need to practice?"

"No, how long have you known about it?"

"I figured it out shortly after my Aura was unlocked, so about three years."

"After you came to this world."

"That's right."

She didn't respond, just continued to press forwards. As I followed I felt my mind drifting back to when my Aura was unlocked.

* * *

><p>The weird greenish glow that covered my body quite frankly creeped me out. Don't judge me! How would you react if you suddenly started glowing? Anyways, unlocking my Aura was one of the first things Ruby did when I came to. Apparently I was unconscious for nearly twenty hours and had only just woken up. She said they needed to get me to a safe place, but that they didn't have anything I could wear. It was too cold for me to go with just what I had on me, so they'd come to the decision that my Aura would have to be activated in the hopes that it would keep me alive long enough to get to some place called Vale.<p>

For the record, getting my Aura unlocked did not feel particularly pleasant. I'm not sure if that's because I'm not from Remnant or if that's normal, but everything I've found indicates that the former is probably the case. I'm sure _someone_ would have mentioned feeling like the world's biggest jolt of static electricity was going through them if it was normal. However, once it was activated, several things happened. The cold seemed to retreat, at least a little bit, the residual exhaustion I still had from yesterday vanished, and my stomach growled. I'm pretty sure that last one was coincidence.

"Hungry?" Ruby asked with a smile on her face.

"Like you would not believe." I muttered. I hadn't had anything to eat since I left home yesterday, and I was starving.

"Well there's some food out by the fire. Help yourself."

"Thank you." I said. I pushed my way out of the tent with Ruby following behind me. I noticed Weiss giving me a very dirty look which I did not understand, but whatever. My stomach demanded food, and I wasn't about to tell it no. I quickly located a plate by the fire. I didn't recognize some of the food, but I was too hungry to care. Not paying much attention to manners I wolfed down the food.

"Alright Team Ruby!" Ruby announced. "We're cutting our mission here short. The local Grimm population has already been reduced to acceptable levels and we have a civilian to take care of. Our new mission is to get Kevin back to Vale. Once we get there we will try to figure out more about him. Let's get going."

"You know, she's really grown up since Beacon." Yang said.

"The team's named after her?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, Team Ruby, R-W-B-Y." Yang replied.

"That doesn't spell ruby."

"No, it's our initials, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and of course Yang."

"Oh. Team RWBY."

"Yep."

"So who came up with the name?"

"Professor Ozpin at Beacon." Blake said. "He's responsible for all team names."

"What's Beacon?"

The women looked at me oddly. "It's the most prestigious school for Hunters in the world." Weiss answered.

"Oh." I was even more confused than ever. "How did the four of you end up on a team?"

"We ran into each other during initiation." Yang said. "Then we-"

* * *

><p>I was dragged out of my reminiscing by a tree branch to the face. I shook myself, irritated that I'd allowed myself to get that distracted in such a dangerous place.<p>

"Pay attention." Rachel muttered, still doing the quiet and scary shtick. I looked at her again. Somehow the almost comically bright outfit she was wearing seemed far more intimidating on this Rachel. The other Rachel was like a bright red ball of energy. This Rachel was focused. This Rachel was deadly. This Rachel was a bloody killer.

I shuddered at the thought, wondering where this split personality had come from, and, perhaps more importantly, which was the real Rachel? Fun loving, energetic, and quirky Rachel? Or this cold blooded killer? I wasn't sure. Great. I was partnered with someone who I was no longer certain I even knew.

"So, why did you decide to team with me?" I ventured the question.

"You interest the other me." she said.

"Uh, thank you?"

"Don't thank me. I don't care."

"But you saved me from that Ursa."

"I didn't do it for you."

"You care that much about- about the other you?" I stuttered, forcing out the strange phrase.

"I exist to protect her and keep her happy."

"Okay then." I thought for a moment. "Does she know you exist?"

"I do not know," she turned to look at me, her light blue eyes completely devoid of emotion, "and I do not care."

I took the hint and shut up. We kept walking towards the temple.

**A/N: And Rachel goes in a completely different direction. This was an interesting chapter to write, particularly because of the reversed dynamics between Kevin and Rachel. I also had a good bit of fun with Rachel's weapon, and it went through several redesigns before I finally settled on the final version.**


	4. Initiation: Part Three- Dust

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

Rachel and I trekked onward through the forest.

"So, uh, do you have any idea who you'd like to be teamed with?" I desperately tried to restart the conversation, hoping that if I could get her talking I would find something, anything, about this girl that would make her seem human. She simply looked at me. "You don't care, do you?"

"No."

"Fine then, does she care?"

"She wanted to partner up with you."

"Yes, I got that part, but does she have anyone else in mind for the rest of the team? There's going to be four of us you know."

"Nothing beyond a desire to have David Marin on the team."

"Ah." I considered something for a moment before asking yet another bizarre question. "She believed me when I told her who and what I was. What do you think?"

"Rachel is young, naïve, and easily convinced. I am not."

"I'll take that as a no then."

"I do not care."

"Is there anything you do care about?"

"Her."

"Right, reason for existence, yada yada yada, there has to be more than that."

"No. Nothing more is required."

"Okay then." I stopped in my tracks. "Before we go any farther, you're going to answer a question from me. And you may not say you don't care. You are going to answer honestly. I want the truth. The whole truth."

"Then ask." She glared at me.

"Which one of you is the real one?"

"Both. Neither."

"Then who is the real Rachel Charlotte?"

"We are."

"This is not helping."

"I don't-"

"You don't care, I get it! You don't care about anything!" I shook my head. Great. Figures I'd end up in this sort of situation. I was stuck spending four years partnered with someone whom I could never truly know. Well, I suppose that made us even. After all, there was no way anyone could ever understand me without going to Earth.

"If you are done yelling, I would like to reach the temple in an expedient fashion."

"Yeah, I'm done." I grumbled.

"Then let us resume our journey."

"Fine, just- wait, did you hear that?" I asked. There was a sound like sizzling, accompanied by someone yelling.

"Yes. Now let's head to the temple."

"No." I stared her down. "We're going to help that person. You can come with me or you can go to the temple on your own, but I'm helping them."

"...Fine."

I turned towards the sounds, judging the distance carefully. "Take my hand." I said.

"Is there a reason for this?" She asked, although she did as I said.

"Yeah, I'm going to get us there in time to help." I focused on my Semblance. Taking someone else with me was harder than moving myself, but it was a skill I'd put a lot of time into mastering. Reality flickered, revealing a scorched and barren plain for a moment before we reappeared in a clearing. Unfortunately I was off by a few feet again, this time vertically. We tumbled to the ground, quickly picking ourselves back up. The scene before us was not a pretty one.

Lily Andell was desperately trying to evade the twin heads of a massive King Taijitu, blasting at them with various elements from her copy of Myrtenaster. It was clear she was outmatched.

"She's going to run out of Dust at this rate." I said. " We have to help her."

"Very well." Rachel fired a dart with a line trailing from it into a tree. She quickly pulled herself up into the branches, running along them with both grace and precision.

"Great, now she's Spiderwoman." I muttered. I activated Molnair's blade and charged in, blocking a strike that could have killed the girl. "Lily, pull back!"

"Kevin?" She turned to face me. "I'm fine!"

"No you're not, pull back dammit!" I spun, slashing the blade across the white head of the monster. Bullets flew from the embedded machine guns, further wounding the monster.

"I can take care of myself!" She jumped, landing on top of the black head. She jabbed her rapier into the back of the monster's neck before jumping off.

"Please, you were using your dust like you were about to die and it was the only thing that could save you!" The white head's fangs skated off the metal covering my shoulder as I pulled back to stab the beast.

"That's how I fight!" To prove her point she blasted the black head with a jet of flame from her sword.

"It's inefficient and wasteful, not to mention expensive." I pointed out. "You're using up dust like you have an infinite supply of it!" I finished my stab, leaving a wound in the white head's nose.

"That's what you think!" she shouted back at me. A wall of ice emerged from the ground, encasing the black head.

"Yeah, it is what I think!" I shouted back, catching the fangs of the white head with my Aura this time. "Am I wrong?"

"You are!" She spun the revolver chamber. The blade glowed white as she drew her arm back to thrust. Before she could complete her attack however, the back of the creature's head exploded. Rachel's doing. Lily sheathed her blade as Rachel dropped out of the trees and into the clearing.

"I believe we have accomplished your objective." she said. "We should resume our journey."

Ignoring Rachel I walked over to the struggling black head and severed it with Molnair's blade. It began to disintegrate before my very eyes. I looked back at Lily. "Why am I wrong?"

"I'm not using that much!"

"You can't get attacks like that without using a lot of Dust, unless you're using particularly expensive and powerful blends. Not even Weiss has that kind of money by her own admission. Her fan girl should be even less able to afford it." I stared at Lily. "Understand, I don't care about you specifically, but I value human life, and the way you fight is going to get you killed. Unless I'm missing something, in which case please let me know."

"You might not be able to get attacks like that out of minimal Dust, but I can." she said proudly. "I can amplify Dust's effects with my Semblance. I'm going to be the most powerful Dust wielder in the world!"

I flushed. Maybe it really was an effective fighting style for her. I kicked myself for letting my ego get the best of me. I was the one who was new to this world, why would I know more about Dust than someone who had grown up here?

"I apologize for my presumption and my ill manners." I said, trying to appeal to the part of her that was trying to imitate Weiss. "I was concerned for your safety, and, with incomplete knowledge, came to a hasty conclusion."

She turned and began to follow Rachel as the red-haired girl began walking in the direction of the temple. "Next time, let the experts decide how to use Dust." Lily said with an air of utter disdain.

Let the experts use Dust. Good advice. I followed them, my mind once again drifting back in time.

* * *

><p>"How did she do that?" I asked in wonder. We were on our way to Vale and we'd been ambushed by a small group of the things Ruby had called "beowolves". Weiss and Ruby were slaying them with appalling speed. Yang was guarding our rear while Blake kept an eye on me.<p>

"Do what?" Blake asked, standing beside me.

"Her, Weiss, how is she doing that?" She spun and stabbed her sword into the ground encasing one of the monsters in ice.

Blake looked at me oddly. "She's using Dust."

"Dust?" I got a sudden mental image of someone throwing dust bunnies around. "You mean that stuff you have to clean up all the time?"

"No, not dust, Dust."

"What's the difference?"

"Okay, I was willing to buy you not knowing what Aura was," Yang said, popping up beside me, "after all, Jaune didn't know what it was when he joined Beacon, but not knowing about Dust? What rock have you been living under?"

"I've spent my whole life in a city, but I've never even heard of Dust." I said, wondering if this was some rural secret.

"That's impossible." Blake said. "You'd have been surrounded by Dust from childhood."

"What does Dust do?" I asked.

"Weiss would be better at explaining this, so let's wait for her to finish off that last Beowolf." Yang turned to see Weiss impaling the creature with her rapier. "Good. Weiss, could you come here for a minute?"

"What is it?" Weiss wiped her sword on the ground before sheathing it.

"Could you explain Dust to Kevin?"

Weiss froze, then fixed me with an icy look. "How do you not know what Dust is?"

"Um, I've never heard of it before today."

"How?"

"Um, what do you mean how?"

"How have you never heard of the foundation of civilization?"

"Foundation?"

"Dust is used for everything!" Weiss said, somewhat animated. "All of our technology and all of our weapons use Dust! It powers society!"

"Um, is Dust another name for oil or something?"

"No! Dust is the name of Dust!" She pulled a bottle of reddish powder from her pack. "Look, this is Dust. Burn Dust to be specific."

"I see you're back to waving those things in people's faces." Ruby said cheerfully.

"Quiet you dolt!"

"I still say that explosion was your fault."

"You're the one who blew us both up!"

"I wasn't the one carrying enough Dust to level a building."

"Oh shut up!"

"So, this Dust, there's more than one kind of it?" I asked, trying to defuse the argument.

"Yes, obviously!" Weiss snapped at me. "There are four basic kinds of Dust, Fire, Earth, Ice, and Wind. Different types of Dust can be combined to form more powerful varieties with different effects."

"And this Dust lets you use magic." I said. This was just weird. I just wanted to get home, but I was starting to suspect home was much more distant than it should be. Monsters, Aura, Dust, magic. Every science fiction and fantasy book I'd ever read was screaming the obvious at me. "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore." I muttered.

"Kansas?" Blake asked.

"Well that seals it." I said. "If you guys aren't getting that reference then I guess I'm really not in my own world."

The enormity of the situation rushed over me. How did I end up here? Was it something to do with that stone circle? Could I find a way to get back? What was happening back at home? I''d already been gone for a full day, people were probably starting to panic. If I couldn't get home, what would I do?

No. I was going to find a way to get home. I would see my city again. I would find a way to cross whatever barrier separated my world from this one.

* * *

><p>The explosions brought me back to reality. I really needed to stop spacing out, it was going to get me killed.<p>

"What is it?" I asked. We had stopped at the edge of a clearing. I quickly glanced past the girls. David was struggling, surrounded by a swarm of Beowolves. He was carrying a bazooka with an enormous pair of axe blades folded up out of the way. He blasted away, but his weapon wasn't designed for this battle. He was outnumbered and on the verge of being overwhelmed.

"We must rescue him." Rachel said.

"I agree."

"And how do you propose we do this?" Lily asked. "I assume you intend for me to become his partner?"

"I have an idea. Unless you don't like the idea of being his partner, in which case you can go find someone else."

"I doubt there's anyone left." Lily scoffed.

"Then it's settled."

"You said you have a plan." Rachel said. "Let's hear it."

I quickly outlined my plan to them.

"Simple, yet ingenious." Lily said. "You might not be completely useless after all."

"Tell me that once it works." I engaged Molnair's blade, preparing to do my part. "Let's move."


	5. Initiation: Part Four- Semblance

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I hate my ideas. They're usually fairly good ideas, and they tend to work (mostly), but they're usually unpleasant or risky. Case in point, I was about to teleport into the middle of a melee and hope I didn't get myself killed with a bad landing. There was nothing to be gained from waiting so I just did it. A brief glimpse of what looked like an old lava field later and I materialized behind David. For once my Semblance decided to cooperate and I landed almost exactly where I wanted to. I pivoted and brought Molnair's blade down in a diagonal slash that destroyed a leaping Beowolf.

"Kevin." David rumbled, his back pressed up against mine.

"David." I replied.

"I take it you're my backup." He said.

"There's a plan." I said. "More help is already here."

"Who?"

"Lily. Rachel."

"Have you met Charlotte yet?"

"You mean evil killer Rachel? Yeah, I've met her."

"And?"

"Is this really the best time to talk about this?" I asked. My sudden arrival had bought us a few seconds as the Beowolves tried to figure out what to make of me, but we were still surrounded. _Get into position!_ I thought loudly in what I guessed to be the direction of Rachel and Lily. _We're running out of time!_

"Probably not."

"Then let's wait!" The Beowolves had gotten over their indecision and were now rushing us. _Now or never Rachel, now or never!_

She did not disappoint. A quartet of needles suddenly appeared at my feet, embedded in the ground. I spun, grabbing David by the shoulders. "Time to go!" I activated my Semblance and we vanished, reappearing on the other side of the clearing after a brief glimpse of an endless stretch of water. The area we had been standing was suddenly the epicenter of a massive explosion that shredded the Beowolves, leaving nothing but a crater.

Rachel dropped from the trees again, carrying Lily. The white clad girl strode over to David. "Partners?" she asked abruptly.

"Partners." David rumbled.

I laughed. Rachel and I were fairly evenly matched in terms of height with me standing roughly six foot two and Rachel coming in at five foot nine. Lily and David on the other hand looked absolutely absurd. She couldn't have been more than five feet tall, maybe five two in heels, and tiny to boot, while David would have been much better served by the name Goliath at well over a foot taller than me, probably seven foot four under that enormous afro, and built like a boulder.

"We should make our way to the temple." Rachel, or I guess Charlotte, said.

"Sounds like a plan." David said. He twirled his bazooka, returning it to axe form before strapping it across his back. In case I forgot to mention it, his weapon was freaking gigantic. As in, bigger than Lily. Not quite as big as me, but possibly as large as Rachel. Either way, it was kind of terrifying.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." I shook myself. We started walking. I glanced over at David. "So, what's your Semblance?"

"Hyper senses." David said. "My eyesight, hearing, sense of smell, even touch are far more sensitive than most people's."

"Taste?"

"That too." he chuckled.

"That explains how you can tell if someone's lying." I reasoned.

"Yes."

"Handy."

"Your Semblance is teleporting?" He asked after a minute.

"Yeah. Lily can amplify Dust. She's the one who turned Rachel's darts into bombs. You probably already know Rachel's Semblance."

"Yeah. Both of them."

"Wait, both of them?"

"Rachel has one Semblance. Charlotte has another."

I was stunned. That didn't seem possible. My mind flashed back to when Ruby explained Semblances to me.

* * *

><p>We were almost back to Vale. The weather had changed as we traveled, getting warmer the further west we went. It was rather strange, but apparently the area we were in was somehow locked into a perpetual state of winter. Ruby mentioned another place called "Forever Fall" with a similar situation, but I still couldn't make any sense of it.<p>

I'd accepted that I was in some other world, and part of me was having a massive existential crisis, but for the most part I felt...detached. Like I wasn't part of reality but rather just some distant observer. It was a familiar, if unpleasant, feeling. I pushed down the old memories that threatened to overwhelm me. I could only hope that the people left behind in my own world were able to cope with my disappearance. I hoped my mother and my little brother were fine. When I got home, I would see them again.

I shook my head. Thoughts like this weren't going to do me any good. I had to figure out how I got here, and how I was going to get back. And In the meantime I was going to have to live in this world. I was going to learn everything I could.

I turned to Ruby who was walking alongside me. "Um, I have a question."

"Sure, what do you want to know?" She smiled brightly at me.

"Um, when you saved me from that wolf-thing-"

"Beowolf."

"From that Beowolf, how did you move that fast?" In hindsight I had come to the conclusion that she'd been moving at a speed that truly was inhuman. The Aura she'd mentioned explained part of it, but none of the others had moved at anything even approaching that speed, even in the occasional fights they'd dealt with.

"Oh, that's my Semblance!"

"Semblance?"

"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know anything about Semblances." She looked at me, her odd silver eyes hypnotizing me. "Remember when I told you what Aura was?"

"Um, something about it being an extension of our soul?"

"That's right. But not everyone is the same. Different souls have different strengths."

"So that means...?"

"Well everyone has Aura, but everyone also has a Semblance, although not everyone knows what their Semblance is. The Semblance is a personal expression of your Aura. It's basically what makes you special. Mine is the ability to move super fast."

"So everyone's Semblance is different?"

"They can be. Some people are born with the same Semblance, although there's usually some differences between them."

"So what's my Semblance?"

Ruby laughed. "How should I know? You're the one with the Semblance!"

* * *

><p>My mind snapped back to reality. Why was I having so many flashbacks today of all days? It was rather inconvenient. I shook myself again.<p>

"How does one person have two Semblances?" I asked.

"I don't know, I never asked." David responded.

"So what's Rachel's Semblance?"

"Illusions. She likes to use them to play pranks on people."

"That sounds like Rachel."

"Yeah."

"So, how long have you known Rachel?" I asked.

"We started at Torch together four years ago." I had to dig through my memory a bit to remember that Torch was one of Signal's sister schools that fed into Beacon.

"Has she always..." I trailed off.

"Yes. As long as I've known her, she's been like this."

"Any idea why?"

"No."

"Great."

"What are you two chattering about?" Lily's sharp voice interrupted the conversation.

"Nothing of any importance." David said.

"Good, because we've reached the temple." We walked towards the ruined stoneworks. Standing on pedestals were-

"You have got to be kidding me." I said. "_Stratego? _Really?" The familiar castle-shaped pieces were exactly the same in this world as they were in mine. Huh, I guess Ozpin had a thing for strategy games. Maybe I could get him to play me in a game or two.

"Hey, guys." David said, halting. "Something's here."

We halted as well.

"Where?" Charlotte's cold voice inquired.

"I can't tell for certain." David said. "But I think it's between us and the temple."

"Any idea what it is?" Lily asked.

"I'm not sure. It's big and it's underground. I can feel it."

"Maybe a King Taijitu? Do they burrow?"

"No, it doesn't feel right." David said.

"Okay then, Deathstalker?"

"Maybe, but they don't burrow."

"Well, only one way to find out." I said. I used Molnair to chop off a low hanging branch. "Get ready to move." I said. I drew back and hurled the chunk of wood into the clearing. I landed with a heavy thud. For a moment nothing happened. Then the ground exploded as an eight-legged monster burst from the ground. The armored head instantly identified it as a Grimm. The massive fangs identified it as a threat. It turned towards us, spitting with rage.

"Oh, an Arachnos." I said in a vaguely dazed tone. "Why not?"

**A/N: And I now have my own non-canonical Grimm! Yes, I know, a giant spider is a bit cliche, but I prefer to think of it as being classic instead. Don't forget to review, I'd love to hear people's opinions on the story so far.**


	6. Initiation: Part Five- Team

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**Hey guys, quick little thing before we get started. Please, please, please review. It might not seem like much, but please, take the time to let me know your thoughts on the story. What did you like? What did you think needed work? What did you downright dislike? Just that extra minute or two makes a world of difference for me. I write here to become a better writer and reading reviews is one of the best ways for me to learn how to do exactly that. I'm not going to hold the story hostage or anything, but I would like to hear some feedback. Please, just a few minutes to write something. It doesn't have to be deep, just give me your opinions. If you have a question you'd like answered I can try to do that as well, provided it isn't a spoiler. So once again, please review.**

**With that said, on with the story!**

Well, this was going to be fun. A giant spider, complete with armor and a vicious blood lust, bent on killing us. A collection of sounds signaled the drawing of weapons. David held his massive axe in an easy grip, ready to strike. Lily drew her rapier and Charlotte's arm-dart-gun-things, whatever they were called, whirred. I looked at the blade jutting out from my forearm. It was kind of pitiful in the face of something this size.

"Any ideas?" David asked, hefting his axe.

"How about not dying?" I offered.

"Good start. Then what?"

"When we get that far, I'll let you know."

The creature lunged for us, two of it's spear like legs lashing out to strike at us. I leapt backwards as one of the legs stabbed into the ground where I was standing. Lily ducked and rolled forwards, diving under the other leg before coming up to stab it in the face. It snarled at her and tried to bite, but she called up an ice barrier, blocking its attack and imprisoning one of its legs.

"Lily, on the right!" I shouted. She turned just in time to catch the blow from on of the legs on her sword. Still, the impact threw her into the air. However, her ice barrier still held the beasts leg. "David, the leg!"

"Got it!" He charged in, his massive axe cleaving through the trapped limb. The beast reeled. Grimm may be tough, but not even they can take the loss of a limb without pain.

"Regroup!" I shouted. They pulled back, forming up on me. Lily's reckless maneuver had given me an idea, but it was going to be hard to pull off. "Rachel, do you have any Ice Dust shots in those things?"

"Six." Her quick response told me what I need, although not what I wanted.

"Nail down some of its legs with those! David, when she does, cut them off! Lily and I will distract it! Move!"

We moved. Lily and I set up a rapid string of attacks to its armored face, alternating between the two of us to keep it distracted and reeling. I ducked under the bite of a pair of jaws big enough to slice me in half, then brought Molnair up in a stab. The blade skated off the bone white armor with a horrible screeching sound. I rolled back just as Lily leapt over me, a rapid series of stabs striking home. From the corner of my eye I noticed David and Charlotte were starting to remove legs from the beast. Unfortunately it was moving too fast for Charlotte to achieve the accuracy she needed. Half of her shots seemed to have missed. Two of the creature's legs were severed with a third trapped in ice as David rushed at it.

I opened fire on the creature with Molnair's machine guns as Lily rolled aside. Bullets clattered against the creature's faceplate, ricocheting into the air. David severed the third leg. The Arachnos was having trouble staying on its feet now with only five legs to support its enormous bulk. Lily brought her rapier up in another stab, this time unleashing a blast of lightning in the process.

This was going to work, Charlotte just had to score one more hit with her last ice shot and we could take this thing down! Of course, that was when the spider Grimm decided to jump. The dart missed, and the beast fell towards us.

"Time to go!" I said for the second time that day as I grabbed Lily, pulling us both out with my Semblance. Unfortunately, we encountered one of the many problems with my Semblance. I didn't have enough time to figure out a safe destination, so I opted for the emergency solution. One mountain vista later and we were fifteen feet straight up, falling towards the back of the monster.

If you've never ridden an Arachnos, I assure you, it is not as fun as it sounds. The back is hardened armor with bristles coming off of it that jab into you. Of course, you're also riding a monster that wants you dead. Yeah. Don't pay money for the experience. Of course Lily and I didn't really have a better option as we grabbed on tight and hoped for the best.

"Hang on!" I tried to hack through the armor with Molnair, but the angle was bad and the armor was too thick. The Grimm twisted and turned, trying to shake us off.

"Can't you just teleport us out of here?" Lily demanded.

"Not unless you like the idea of ending up inside a tree!"

"I'll pass!"

_Come on, think!_ I had to come up with some way out of this mess. We were moving to erratically for me to teleport and too fast for me to let go. I couldn't stab the thing from this angle and Lily couldn't use her Dust without killing us. David and Charlotte were equally helpless as they couldn't attack without running the risk of killing Lily of myself. _Wait._ _There is one possibility.__ Depends on whether I can do it or not. One way to find out._

"Lily, let go!" I shouted.

"What?"

"Just trust me, let go!"

"What are you doing?"

"Just let go of the damn spider!" She did so just as the Arachnos twisted, throwing her clear. I took a deep breath, then focused on my Semblance. I'd never tried it with something this big before, but hopefully even a partial success would get the job done. I closed my eyes and set the destination. I don't know what we passed through, the spider and I, but the next thing I knew, we were several thousand feet up. Well, stage one successful. Now for stage two. I let go of the spider and teleported downwards, appearing less than a hundred feet above the tree tops. As I fell I jammed Molnair into a tree in a repeat of my landing strategy. Fortunately, the fall was vertical this time so there was no spinning. I landed safely on the ground, just in time to see the Arachnos impact.

The ground shook as the monster hit the ground. Amazingly, it was only dazed. David fixed that. An axe through the skull tends to resolve most situations. The creature's corpse collapsed to the ground.

"That was fun." I panted. Using my Semblance so much had left me drained. "Let's never do that again."

"Agreed." David said. Rachel dropped from the trees again, picking up the dazed Lily.

"Let's get those relics." I said.

* * *

><p>"So, what are these things?" Lily asked.<p>

"You've never played Stratego?" I replied. "It's a strategy game sort of like chess. I presume you've played chess before."

"Well of course!"

"Stratego is similar, but also very different. If you'd like I can explain the rules, but first we should finish our mission."

"An excellent suggestion." Charlotte said, moving towards one of the pieces.

"Wait." I looked around. "Do we want to be on the same team?"

"Why are you asking that?" Lily responded.

"Because it will affect which relics we should pick." I looked at them. "Team RWBY told me about the relics they picked up. Their relics were chess pieces. The pairs who picked matching pieces were teamed together."

"And you think the same thing applies here?" David asked.

"I don't see why not. I suspect matching pieces will be paired, although I find Stratego a questionable choice given the number of pairs in the game is precisely two, but..." I trailed off, realizing I was babbling a bit.

"We did work well together." Lily said, somewhat grudgingly.

"I see no issue with teaming with them." Charlotte said.

"I have no problems with this." David said.

"Then it's settled." I started towards the relics. "Now, which pieces to take?"

"The strongest!" Lily said.

"That wasn't very Weiss-like." I noted. "No, not the strongest. Only a fool leads with his strongest pieces. Ah ha. There we go." I picked up the two blue Colonel pieces. Each had a number three engraved in the top corner. "My favorite piece. Strong enough to win most battles, but with even greater strength in reserve." I tossed one to David. "And, there's supposed to be two of them."

"Interesting choice." Charlotte said.

"My choice to make in this case. After all, I am our ride back."

"Are you always this much of an arrogant jerk?" Lily demanded.

"Please, you're the one trying to imitate Weiss. I don't hold a candle to her."

"Why you insufferable-"

"Ah, now that's more Weiss-esque. Good work."

"You, you, you-"

"Yes I know, I'm annoying. I'm also about to leave, so if you guys want to come you should get over here." They clustered in around me in a sort of group hug. I focused on my Semblance once again and we slipped through reality.

* * *

><p>"David Marin, Rachel Charlotte, Kevin Malder, and Lily Andell." Ozpin looked mildly disgruntled as we walked onto the stage. My guess was that he knew we had deliberately ended up on the same team. "The four of you retrieved the blue Colonel pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as: Team Emerald." Our faces appeared on the screen with letters beneath them. An 'M' for me, an 'R' for Rachel, an 'L' for Lily, and a 'D' for David. "Lead by: Kevin Malder."<p>

**A/N: That's it for chapter six and the end of the warm up. The real story of MRLD can now begin. Expect updates to slow down as I actually have to plan things now. Be sure to leave a review letting me know what you think, and I'll see you all next chapter.**


	7. Day Off: Part One- CLVR

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**Alright, now that the meet and greet is over the actual story can begin.**

Team MRLD, my new team, started settling in. I wasn't entirely sure about this whole leader thing, being quite possibly the strangest student in the history of Beacon, but the rest of the team didn't seem to mind that much. Even Lily grudgingly conceded to my sudden authority. Of course, with that authority came responsibility. Most notably, I was in charge of making sure we all got to class on time. Have I mentioned that I hate mornings? Well I really hate mornings. To be on the safe side I set no less than three alarm clocks to go off at five minute intervals. Every. Morning. By the time I'm up and moving the rest of the team is already yelling at me to turn off the first two.

Something I wish I'd thought of going in was the fact that teams were expected to live together in the same room. This might not be a problem for an all girls team like RWBY, or the all male team CLVR who were also in this year, but for a mixed gender team like MRLD, it was a major issue. After a bit of thought we decided to partition the room into two areas, one for David and myself and the other for Lily and Rachel. We also established a complex and comprehensive set of rules regarding the shower, which took some doing.

Classes started up. I aced the math class, because no matter what universe you're in, numbers remain the same. Other classes I was merely okay at, and I did my best to keep my head down in history. I did enjoy the mechanical class I chose for one of my electives. I've always had a knack for building things, and while I still had a very weak grasp of more complex applications of Dust, when it came to machinery it was actually rather intuitive. Which lead to the events of Friday evening.

"So, what are we going to do for the weekend?" Lily asked, glancing up from her book. Another habit of hers which didn't really match Weiss, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"I know!" Rachel squealed. "Let's have a party!"

"Rachel, we have been at Beacon for just under a week." I said. "I don't believe festivities are in order quite yet." She collapsed to the floor with an unhappy sound.

"We could go into town." Lily offered.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to be busy this weekend." I said. "I need to use the machine shop."

"Why?" David asked. I had almost forgotten he was there. Strange that someone that large could be so inconspicuous.

"I wanted to make some upgrades to Molnair." I said. "I need to find a way to do more damage with it. Against larger Grimm, it's just not enough."

"You could make the blade longer." David offered.

"No, I've tried that before. It's awkward, difficult to use, and very difficult to get it to retract properly."

"Energize it with Dust?" Lily suggested.

"I'm not skilled enough with Dust to do that. I'd probably just blow myself up."

"Make it a chainsaw sword!"

I stared at Rachel. "No. Just no. There are some things that I simply will not do, and that is one of them. It offends my senses of decency, reason, and style." I sighed. "I was thinking I could use the extra room on the upper arm and shoulder for something. I just don't know what yet."

"Maybe you could store Dust grenades there or something." Lily suggested.

"Why, so you can turn them into pocket nukes?"

"Nukes?" David asked.

"Sorry, it means really big bomb."

"You keep using words like that." Lily said. "Why do you do that?"

"Force of habit. I spent sixteen years living in a world where those words meant something."

"I still don't believe you're from another world."

"What can I do to convince you? I've told you a bit about my world."

"You could be making it up."

"I use words and phrases that don't exist here."

"Could be your own personal made-up slang."

"I even showed you my old cell phone!"

"Which doesn't work and might be fake as well!"

"Fine, I give up, believe it or not, I don't care anymore."

"I believe you!" Rachel bounced back up from the floor.

I covered my eyes with my hand. "Thank you Rachel. You are being so very helpful right now."

"You're welcome!"

"That was sarcasm."

"Oh." She crumpled again. I swear, that girl was like a living slinky or something.

"Well, you guys go have fun this weekend. I'll come up with something." I glanced at the clock. "For now however, I do believe it's time for bed."

* * *

><p>I walked towards the armory to pick up my weapon. The rest of the team was off in Vale, taking the day off to relax after the events of initiation. I made sure that Lily and Rachel understood that David was in charge. Of the three of them, he was the one I trusted not to get them into trouble. The extra two years I had on my teammates felt more like ten sometimes.<p>

I arrived at my locker and was about to punch in the combination when my Aura picked up on someone watching me.

"Hey there, Malder." A mocking voice came from my right.

"Conrad." I sighed and put my forehead against the cool metal of the locker. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." The speaker stepped towards me. Conrad Black, the leader of CLVR. He and I didn't see eye to eye in many ways, including literally. It's kind of hard to look someone in the eye when they're six inches shorter than you and have a habit of invading people's personal space. Two of his team mates, Larvin Erd and Evan Rold stepped up behind him. Both of them were much larger than Conrad. They were still shorter than me, but much more heavily built than my relatively light frame.

"It's never 'nothing' with you Conrad. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

"Trying to catch up?" Here we go again. Third time in as many days that he'd tried harassing me for having been 'held back'.

"No, I'm good, although if you want to believe that, go ahead." I began to key in the code for my locker. "In the meantime, I'd really rather you let me work in peace."

Good reflexes and some old tricks I'd developed from wrestling with my brother saved me from what came next. The fourth member of Team Clover, the much smaller and lighter Wallace Verd jumped off the locker behind me, aiming for my shoulders. Between my Aura and my old reflexes I ducked, grabbing him by the wrists before hurling him at his compatriots. He struck Larvin in the chest and the two went down in heap.

"Please, don't try that again." I said, trying for nonchalant. The simplest way to deal with creeps like these is to convince them to back off. To do that, you sometimes have to speak their language and convince them that they really do not want to mess with you. Unfortunately, all I managed to do was piss them off. Conrad charged in, his fists swinging. I took several punches to the stomach before I could get clear. I backpedaled, trying to get enough room to move. I brought my own fists up into a guard stance. I was going to have to fight smart if I wanted this to end well.

I glanced away from Conrad. The other three were up on their feet and moving to surround me. This was looking worse and worse by the second. At four against one, the odds were not in my favor. So I decided to change the odds.

"Hey Conrad, why don't we take this outside?" I asked in my most taunting voice. I leapt forwards and grabbed him by the collar. Before he could react, I teleported us outside the building, passing through a vibrant jungle in the process. We now stood on the paved area in front of Beacon. A few other students were milling about, but for the most part it was empty. _Dammit, I wanted to end this without an actual fight!_ I had been counting on an audience. Not even Conrad was stupid enough to get involved in a fight in front of a large body of people.

I released his collar and jumped back, evading the clumsy punch he threw at my chest. I almost felt sorry for the guy. Teleportation is disorienting, even if you're expecting it.

"You're going to pay for that." He charged at me again, swinging violently. I dropped to the ground, his fists swinging over me helplessly. I popped back up, leading with my fist. Never before had I been so grateful for the similarities between using Molnair and unarmed combat. My strike caught him across the face. If it wasn't for his Aura I would have broken his jaw. As it was, he staggered back a step.

"You know, I had plans for today." I said. "Plans that didn't involve you. I'd like to go back to those plans."

"Yeah right, freak." He charged in again, still swinging with violent intent. Rather than continue the fight, I decided pride had been satisfied and it was time to leave. I teleported back into the armory. I arrived just in time to see the rest of Team CLVR leaving the room.

"Now, maybe I can get some work done." I walked over to my locker and opened it up. Molnair was in its storage form. I picked it up and began walking towards the machine shop.

"Not a bad fight." I muttered to myself. I was actually surprised at how well it had gone. Even with my Semblance, four against one is not something I care for. My Semblance had proven surprisingly useful during the fight, giving me the critical edge I needed to take on CLVR. Team CLVR, Team Clover, the most hilariously misnamed team in the school. I was tempted to paint a bright green four-leaf clover on the door of their dorm. The poor guys needed all the luck they could get.

I was halfway to the machine shop when someone else crossed my path.

"Kevin Malder, just the man I was looking for!" The last person I wanted to be stuck alone with appeared. The slightly graying green hair and distinctive glasses entered my vision. Professor, no, Doctor, Oobleck. This was not going to be a fun experience.

**A/N: Okay, maybe the actual plot isn't going to start just yet, but I have reached the point where I can actually do things with the characters. **

**Special thanks to the anonymous guest who left a review, and belated thanks to Chris7221 for leaving the first review for the story. Both reviews have been quite helpful. A response to a question from the guest, no, I will not be requesting OCs. I like using OCs in the first place because they're better practice for writing original stories of my own. It's not as effective if I use ideas from other people. (I realize this is an ironic statement coming from someone who writes fan fiction, but that doesn't mean it's not true.) **

**It also leaves me free to make as many changes as I want, at least until I actually write the character. None of the major characters made it through the initial design process without being changed at least twice. Kevin in particular went through something like eight redesigns before I settled on the final character. My creative process is chaotic and it works better when I control most of the characters. **


	8. Day Off: Part Two- Oobleck

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"H-hello Doctor Oobleck." _Great, now I'm stuttering too. _I was seriously considering using my Semblance to get out of this situation._  
><em>

"Would you mind to terribly much if I asked you some questions?" he asked in his usual, excitable fashion. "I can assure you it won't take long."

_Yes it can._ I thought to myself. _And it will._ "Sure thing, Professor."

"Doctor!" he corrected before walking off in the direction of his office. I followed him with Molanir in tow, already planning out what I would say. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. I just hoped my answers would satisfy him.

We walked through the door of his office. It was a large circular room lined with numerous book shelves, all of which were full. The center of the room was dominated by his desk complete with a large chair for him and a smaller chair for any guests. The room was cluttered, but not unbearably so. It had the feel of organized chaos, but most of all it felt like a work space. Oobleck used this room and used it frequently. He sat down in his chair and gestured for me to take the one on the opposite side of the desk.

"I imagine you're feeling a bit nervous about this conversation." Oobleck stated. "I must admit, I would like an explanation for the irregularities in your Signal transcript, but I have a more important question I wanted to ask you."

Okay, maybe I didn't know what he was going to ask.

He looked at me, displaying an uncharacteristic calm. "Why do you want to become a Huntsman?"

I decided to answer honestly. "So I can go outside the Kingdom freely."

He gave me an odd look. "And why would you want to do that?"

"So I-" I paused, uncertain of how to answer. Should I tell him the truth and hope he believed me? Should I lie and do the same? Should I just teleport out and go into hiding somewhere?

"Go ahead." He gave me a kind, almost fatherly look. My willingness to lie to this man shattered.

"Sir, doctor, if I tell you, will you promise to at least consider what I say?"

"Consider it how?"

"Consider the possibility that I might be telling the truth."

"Very well, I suppose that's the least I can do." He picked up a coffee mug that had been hiding in the clutter and took a swift drink of the stuff.

"Doctor, all I want is to go home. That's why I want to travel outside the Kingdom."

"And just where is your home?"

"Home is...on another world."

He looked at me carefully. "Would you like to elaborate?"

"I'm not from this world, I'm not from Remnant." I said. Something about the way this man was treating me was breaking down my instincts to keep my story as quiet as possible. Oobleck would be the sixth person in Beacon to know my story, after my team, Ozpin, and Goodwitch.

"Then where are you from?"

"A world called Earth."

"And how long have you been here for?"

"Three years, give or take a few months."

"And you've been training to be a Huntsman ever since."

"Not quite." I launched into an explanation of how Team RWBY found me and brought me in.

"Yes, Team RWBY, they mentioned something about this to me at the time. I'm afraid I did not pay it much attention at the time." He took another swig from his mug. "And then you enrolled at Signal?"

"No sir, I... I was a sixteen year old boy who owned nothing but the clothes on his back and a few hiking supplies. I had no support network, no marketable skills, nothing of any value. Nothing that is, save my story."

"I have no doubt many less reputable magazines would have found you quite fascinating, but that wouldn't be enough to get you into Signal."

"Who said anything about the media?" I asked. "I didn't sell my story to them. Instead I went looking for a research firm that was interested. I found what I was looking for in a company named White Fox Research. Huntress Schnee helped me write out a contract with them. They got to study me, run all the tests they wanted as long as they weren't directly harmful, and in return they payed for my living expenses and my tuition for the Hunter Schools. From my perspective it was a win-win. I got the assistance of a scientific company to pursue that route for getting me home, while at the same time working on my own personal investigation."

"Did the tests find anything?"

"Enough to verify my story. I had enough minor biological distinctions to make it clear I wasn't native to Remnant, but they're pretty much all cosmetic. The most interesting one from my perspective was that Remnant humans apparently do not have a tailbone. Not that it really does anything in Earth humans, but it was interesting to know it doesn't exist in this world.

"However, they didn't find anything useful. Once my Semblance developed and I figured out how to use it they tried to analyze that, but they couldn't find anything useful there either. When I teleport I do travel through another world, but the trip is so brief that none of their instruments could take any meaningful measurements."

"You have not answered my initial question, Mr. Malder. Why do you want to be a Huntsman?"

"Because the answer for how I got to this world is out there, somewhere. I know it is. A fully staffed research company couldn't find the answer here, so it must be out there, beyond the boundaries of Vale. But in order to go outside, I need to be Huntsman. In the end, I'm in this for me."

"I see." He looked at me with that same odd expression he had given me earlier. "And just why do you believe you must be a Huntsman to venture outside the Kingdom?"

"Um, because that's what I was told."

"By whom?"

"Huntress Belladona."

"I see. And if I told you that anyone was allowed outside the Kingdom, what would you do?"

"I would probably leave and start searching."

"Very well then. Miss Belladona deceived you. Hunters are not the only ones allowed outside. Anyone is free to leave if they wish." He looked at me expectantly. "If you would like, I can inform Ozpin of your impending departure for you. Would you like me to?"

I blinked. She...she...she lied to me? Why? Why would she lie to me? Why would she even care enough to do so? I shoved that thought into a corner of my mind for later examination. Right now I had Doctor Oobleck to deal with. He was offering me a way out of this, to start my mission four years sooner. _Take it, you'll never get a better chance. _

"Thank you sir, I-" My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't finish my sentence! Why was this happening? I wanted to go! Right? "...What about my team?" I asked weakly.

"Ozpin will find a replacement for you." Oobleck said. "He will select a new leader for them, and perhaps rename the team if necessary."

"What about my partner?"

"Your replacement will be her new partner. You are free to go if you wish."

"I- I- I want to-" I couldn't say it. Why couldn't I say that one little word?

Oobleck watched my internal struggle for a moment before he spoke again. "If I may, I would like to show you something." He touched a button and a computer screen unfolded from his desk. He turned it so we both could see, then pulled up a video clip from the initiation.

I saw myself jumping in front of a King Taijitu, taking a blow for Lily. The video fast forwarded to show me fighting back to back with David, surrounded by Beowolves. The video cut out and Oobleck turned back to me.

"Why did you get involved in either of those fights? They had nothing to do with you. They served no purpose, placed you in danger, and did nothing to help you in your goal. So why did you get involved?"

"I- I wouldn't feel right if I just let someone die. I could help them, so I did."

"I thought your motives for being a Huntsman were selfish?"

"They are, or were I guess."

"Then leave. Your reasons for becoming a Huntsman were built on a lie."

"I-" I struggled to say it. I wanted to leave. "I...can't. I can't leave."

"Why?"

I took a deep breath. "I have a responsibility now. To my partner, to my team. I can't do that to them."

"A responsibility. Not because of friendship?"

"Doctor, with all due respect, I met them a week ago. I like them, but we're not really friends yet." I looked at the ground. "But I'm their leader. I can't just leave."

"Ozpin made the right choice when he made you the leader of your team." Oobleck said, taking a small sip of his coffee. "You understand what the role means. In the meantime, don't give up hope. Huntsmen and Huntresses in training often leave the Kingdom. You might just find what you're looking for on your next field trip."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome." He glanced down at some papers on his desk, then back up at me. "I have some work I need to do, but if you would visit me tomorrow afternoon, I have something else I would like to discuss with you."

"Certainly, Doctor." I gathered up Molnair and resumed my trip to the machine shop. I had an idea I wanted to try with Molnair and there was no sense wasting any more time. I was already wasting four years of it because of my over-sized sense of responsibility. Then again, maybe Oobleck was right. Maybe I would find something on my next field trip. It wasn't like I had any other leads. Maybe this was the best option.

**A/N: Oobleck is really hard to write. He's both really hyper and really serious, two traits that don't usually mix. I tried to do him justice, but I'm not sure I succeeded. **


	9. Day Off: Part Three- DMND

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I sat down out on one of the benches to wait for my team to return. Bored, I decided to pull out my history book. After all, I still had a lot to work through. I turned the page. The Faunus War. I started reading.

I was about halfway through the chapter when I heard someone call my name. I glanced up. My team was getting off the airship. Somewhere along the line, they'd picked up four more people. I squinted at first, trying to make out who they were. Then a ray of light hit the girl Rachel was chatting with. I immediately blinked at the sudden burst of reflected light. Only one person in Beacon dressed like a living disco ball: Miranda Corees of Team Diamond (DMND).

I stowed my book and started towards the group. "Hey Dawn!" I shouted. "I thought we agreed to keep our lunatics away from each other!"

A rather statuesque blonde stepped forward. Dawn Rellna, the leader of DMND. "I'm not the one who let their lunatic out without supervision."

"I sent David with them."

"And the man deserves a medal for keeping up with her as long as he did." she said. "I make sure my lunatic is always supervised by at least two responsible individuals."

"My team only has two responsible individuals." I said.

"Hey!" Lily exclaimed.

"I had some work to do today. They wanted to have fun. I'm not that heartless."

"No, you're worse." Dawn said, finally coming within arms length of me. "But I suppose we'll keep you anyways." She held out a hand.

I took it. "Right back at you." Team DMND was probably my favorite of our classmates. They were friendly, fun, and willing to put up with Rachel being, well, Rachel. They'd been our opponents in the first team sparring match on Wednesday, and both sides had enjoyed the fight immensely. Even if Rachel and Miranda's fight had devolved into tickling.

"Hey Kevin." Another girl with jet black hair stepped out from behind David. Various colored sparks appeared to be frozen just under her pale skin.

"Hey there Nyx." Nyx Chrysander served as DMND's resident Dust wielder, and it showed. She preferred more archaic methods of Dust usage, which meant she always had some Dust infused into her own body. I was still getting used to the visual effects that created.

I glanced around and located the fourth and sole male member of DMND, Drake Crim. "Hey Drake." He was on the short side, barely scrapping five eight, but in combat he was the anchor for their team.

"So, what did you come up with?" Lily asked.

"Ah, yes, I have something to show you guys." I pulled out my new toy. "I came to the conclusion that there really wasn't enough space on Molnair for what I wanted to do, and it was already a bit too heavy, so I decided to solve that problem by building a second weapon for my left hand." I attached the new weapon to my arm. It consisted of some machinery mounted on my shoulder, a long thin cylinder along my left forearm, a few metal tubes connecting the two, and a simplified version of Molnair's control gauntlet. "I'm going to armor it later, but this is the prototype."

"What's it do?" Dawn asked. "Not that it'll help you against me. Next time, I'm kicking your butt." She had come close last time. I'd only won because I'd managed to pin her in a corner, which removed her advantages in speed and agility. She used a rather odd weapon choice, two star knives. To me they looked like over sized shuriken with handles through the middle of them. She made them work.

"No, I'm not going to use it against you." I said. "The only person I might use it on would be Drake, but only to get past his Semblance." Drake's Semblance allowed him to form his Aura into a massive suit of armor. While he had his Semblance active he was much stronger than normal. In fact, while in his Semblance armor, he was stronger than David. However, if you hit the armor hard enough, he would lose control over it and it would vanish. "No this weapon's for fighting Grimm."

"But what does it do?" Dawn asked again.

"Let me demonstrate." I held my arm up and pointed it away from everyone else, then hit the trigger in the control gauntlet. A sharpened rod of steel suddenly burst from the end of the cylinder on my arm. It was moving so fast that the recoil pushed my arm back. It then retracted back into the cylinder at a much more reasonable speed. "It's a pneumatic ram." I explained. "It uses air pressure to extend the rod harder and faster than I can punch. It then retracts so I can use it again."

"And what purpose does that serve?" Nyx asked. "Wouldn't you be better off with another blade?"

"Maybe, but this thing is designed to crack open a Grimm's armor. The sudden impact should in theory be enough to damage the armor. This creates a weakness I or one of my teammates can use to kill the creature."

"Sounds useful." Dawn said. "What are you going to call it?"

"Talon sounds good." I said.

"And that relates to the name of Molnair how?" Lily asked.

"It doesn't."

"Right. There's no consistency with you, is there?"

"If there was you wouldn't know what to do with me." I packed up Talon. "Alright, you guys had your fun, now we have to go study. We have homework to do." I turned to DMND. "Nice seeing you guys."

"Same to you."

We went our separate ways as I led my team back towards the dorm room. Near the entrance to the school, we ran into Team CLVR. The four of them did not look happy.

"Conrad, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now." I preempted them. "Go back to your dorm and let us go back to ours."

He shifted into a fighting stance. "You're gonna pay for this morning."

"You said that then too." I pointed out.

He charged. I didn't feel like getting punched, so I stepped to one side as he barreled past. Rachel then elbowed him in the back of the head in a move so natural it almost seemed like an accident. That was odd. It was the sort of thing I'd expect from Charlotte, but not from Rachel. Conrad hit the ground in heap.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rachel said, suddenly back to her bubbly self. "I didn't see you there." She helped him back to his feet then made a production of dusting him off. "I should really be more careful about the people around me."

Conrad just stared at her in confusion. Heck, I was staring at her in confusion. Neither of her personalities would have done that. Charlotte would have elbowed him, but she wouldn't have helped him up. Rachel would have helped him up, but she would never have hit him like that. It was very odd. But it gave me an opening. "Alright then." I turned to Conrad. "I apologize for my partner's carelessness, but we really need to get going. I'll see you in class on Monday." And with that we turned and left before Conrad could remember to punch me.

As we walked down the corridor to our dorm room I nudged Rachel. "Nice work back there."

"Thanks. I really need to be more careful about the people around me though." Wait, was she saying that it really was an accident? No, that was impossible. It was too precise, to smooth to have been an accident. Something else was going on here and I intended to find out what. Speaking of which...

"Hey guys, before we get started I need to make a call. Can you wait for me in the dorm?"

"Sure thing." David said. "Should we start without you?"

"Yeah, go ahead, this might take a while."

They trooped into the dorm while I found a small alcove where I could make my call in peace. I pulled out my scroll, braced myself, then dialed. It rang once, twice, three times. Then: "Hello? Who is this?"

"Hi Ruby, it's Kevin."

"Kevin?" I braced myself again. "Oh hi, how are you? Are you at Beacon? How are classes? Do you have a team? What are they like? What's it called? Who's the leader?" She paused for breath.

"Good, yes, okay, yes, nice, Emerald, and me, in that order." I said before she could start back up again. I took a moment to pity any future children of Ruby Rose. If the way she treated me was anything to judge by, she was going to be the worst helicopter parent ever. "I need to talk to Blake, do you know how I can get a hold of her?" I waited while she processed my response.

"You're a team leader? That's great!" She practically squealed with excitement. I did not understand that woman. If you didn't know better you'd think I was her long lost child or something, not a stranger she found in the middle of nowhere.

"Yes Ruby, I'm the leader for my team. I still need to talk to Blake though."

"Oh, right, Blake. Actually, she's here with me. Hey Blake, Kevin wants to talk to you!" I heard various sounds that I guessed were the scroll changing hands.

"Hello Kevin."

"Blake."

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, yes I did." I took a deep breath. "You lied to me."

"About what?"

"Please, don't play dumb. You're far too smart to be good at it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I could hear an odd tension in her voice.

"You told me Hunters were the only ones allowed outside the Kingdom."

"Oh, that." Relief. Weird. What was she so worried about? "Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"So you wouldn't get yourself killed."

"Yeah, I figured that part out. But why did you even care?"

"I didn't care. I didn't do it for you."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I did it for my team."

"Yang wouldn't have cared that much if I died. Weiss would probably care even less than you would."

"I think you underestimate Weiss, but yes, they wouldn't have cared much. But Ruby would have cared. And we care about Ruby."

"So you lied to me to save my life to keep Ruby happy?"

"Essentially."

"And now I can't get mad at you without feeling stupid." I said. "Nice work."

"Thank you."

"Just please, don't lie to me again."

"Sure." The tension was back. "I won't." What was she so worried about? Wait...

"Wait, were you worried that I'd figured out you're a Faunus?" I would have payed good lien to see the look on her face at that moment. As it was I could practically hear the spit take.

"What are you talking about?" she asked after a moment.

"Please Blake, it was obvious. For one, the others had you explain what Faunus are to me. Two, your bow kept twitching. It was actually kind of creepy and I couldn't figure it out until you told me about the Faunus. Three, I grew up with two cats in the house. You have some similar mannerisms. You're a Faunus."

"...Okay. You're correct."

"See? So much simpler when you tell the truth. Glad we had this conversation."

"Would you like to speak with Ruby again?"

"Like is a strong word." I said. I was hoping to get out of this in time to get some homework done. "I'd rather not be smothered again."

"You're the one who called."

"...Yeah, give her the scroll." I said, resigned to at least one more round of questions. I heard the sounds of the scroll changing hands again. "Hey Ruby."

"Hey Kevin!" She wasted no time, immediately restarting her almost motherly interrogation. "You're team leader, right? What are their names? What are they like? Have you made any other friends?"

"Yes. Their names are Rachel, Lily, and David, they're an odd and quirky bunch, and we've made several friends. I have some homework that I have to do and I have a meeting with Doctor Oobleck tomorrow, so I really have to go now. Thanks for your help. Bye!" I hung up before she could ask any more questions. I like Ruby, really I do, but there's a limit to how much I can take without going insane, and between CLVR, Oobleck, DMND, and Blake, I was already pushing it for today. I simply did not have the mental capacity to deal with any more of her high speed interrogations. Time to go deal with that homework.


	10. Meeting the Doctor: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**I got excited and finished this chapter ahead of schedule. Then I got bored and started working on chapter eleven. I wasn't planning on putting this up for another day or two, but there's no real point in letting it sit now that I'm happy with it. So, yay, early update.**

"We already finished the history homework, why are you still reading the text book?" Lily asked impatiently. "We still need to deal with that problem for math!"

"I already did that." I said as I turned the page of the text book. I find history fascinating, and I found it frustrating that I couldn't contribute in class. I still had so much to learn about this world.

"When did you do that?" Lily demanded.

"Right now." I rattled off the answer to the supposedly complex math question the teacher had assigned us without even looking up from my book. "It's quite simple actually." I'd probably like math too if I didn't find it so easy. Seriously, it's just numbers. Sure not all the numbers are real, and some of them can't really be expressed, but they don't change and they aren't subjective. There's only one right answer. Simple. As opposed to literature classes, where there is no definitive right answer. I like reading, but I don't like being told to read something and I like having to find a deeper meaning that probably isn't even there even less than that. Fortunately literary classes were an elective at Beacon. I'd probably fail that class too, given my lack of knowledge regarding Remnant literature.

"And did you show your work?"

I groaned, burying my face in my text book. I hate having to write out how I solve a problem. I can do it in my head in a minute, why do I need to spend half an hour writing out what I did? "No." I admitted.

"Then go do it!"

"At once Madam Schnee!" I said, rolling my eyes. Rachel and David laughed.

* * *

><p>"Seriously Kevin, why do you always have that book with you?" Lily asked again. "In the week I've known you every time you have a spare minute, you pull that book out and start reading! It's a history book!"<p>

"I'm pretty sure Weiss wouldn't have a problem with someone studying history." I said, my face once again buried in the history book I'd brought with me. I was busy comparing what my book said with the text book. There were some differences between the two that didn't add up, but then again history is rarely simple or one sided.

"I don't have a problem with you studying it, but you're obsessed!"

"Not obsessed. Dedicated. Or maybe focused. But not obsessed."

"Then prove it!"

"Prove it how?"

"Put the book down!"

I finally looked up from my book. "Can't this wait? I have a meeting with Doctor Oobleck tomorrow, and I want to have at least something to show him."

"Oobleck wants to talk to you?" David asked. "Why?"

"It's a long story. I had a talk with him earlier today."

"What was it about?" Rachel asked.

"Mostly about why I'm here at Beacon."

"And why are you here?" Rachel's innocent question struck me. I could tell them why I came here, but that was built on a lie. I could tell them why I stayed, but then I would have to explain why I first came here. Well, time for option three.

"To keep you guys out of trouble. That, and the cafe makes really good pizza."

David chuckled, Lily looked at me like I'd just insulted her mother, and Rachel gave me a look I couldn't identify.

"Now, can I go back to my book?" There was some grumbling from Lily, but she did stop bothering me.

* * *

><p>I couldn't sleep. The question of why I was here kept bouncing around in my head. The simple answer was that I couldn't bring myself to leave, but that wasn't good enough. I needed something more than a sense of obligation. I rolled over for the twelfth time that night. I couldn't get comfortable. Maybe some fresh air would help. I slipped on some shoes and quietly opened the door to the hall. Moving carefully so as not to wake anyone I made my way out of the building. I found myself in the courtyard with the statue of the Hunters, a Grimm crushed beneath their feet. I stared at the statue.<p>

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" I asked. The statue didn't answer. Probably best that it didn't. That would have been weird.

I sat down on the stones that paved the area. I looked up at the sky. The moon was shattered tonight, giving a beautiful view of the tranquil destruction. The stars were spread across the sky, forming constellations. The strange thing was that I could still pick out some familiar ones. The belt of Orion shone brightly. Ursas Major and Minor were still there. I picked out others. They were the same here as they were on Earth. But no one knew them here. They had their own constellations. I was a stranger here. Why was I here? Why was I in this world? Was there some sort of actual reason, or just extremely bad luck? Was this even real? Maybe I had somehow injured myself and I was in a coma or something, still on Earth. Did it even matter? Whatever the case might be, I was still here. I looked to the sky once again. It held no answers for me, just more stars.

I snapped out of my trance at the sound of footsteps on the stone. Someone else was out this late?

"Kevin?" I snapped around.

"Rachel?" I asked, surprised. "What are you doing up?"

"I saw you leaving the dorm so I thought I'd follow you. What are you doing up?"

I got to my feet. "I was just thinking about something. You should go back to bed."

"So should you. You didn't answer my question earlier."

"Which one?"

"Why are you at Beacon?"

I turned away, unable to look her in the eye. "...I don't have a good answer for that anymore."

"What was your old answer?"

"I thought I had to be a Huntsman to go outside the Kingdom. It wasn't until Oobleck told me this morning that I learned otherwise." I could feel her staring at me.

"Why didn't you leave then?" Her voice was full of concern. "Why did you stay?"

"Because I couldn't live with letting you guys down. I couldn't face your disappointment and anger." I looked back at her with a pained grin. "I'm a selfish coward. I came here for myself, and now I'm not brave enough to leave."

"Do you want to know why I'm here?"

"Huh? Okay, sure."

"I'm here for myself too. I came here to learn how to beat my fear." I blinked. Rachel, afraid of something? Neither side of her was afraid of anything. Rachel was too carefree and Charlotte didn't have any emotions to speak of. Who was I talking to? The innocent? The killer? Or maybe something in between?

"What are you afraid of?" I asked.

"It's late, we should go back to the dorm." She turned and began walking towards the building where we lived.

I followed, more than slightly puzzled. What had I just witnessed? Was that the real Rachel Charlotte, under the twin disguises of her split personality? Was it Rachel and Charlotte speaking as one person? I didn't know. I shook my head. I still couldn't answer the question. Why was I here?

* * *

><p>Sunday dawned bright and clear. Or at least, so I was told. I didn't wake up until the third alarm clock went off. After dragging myself out of bed, going through breakfast, and the slow process of getting myself fully awake on a weekend, it was almost noon. I wandered down to the cafeteria in search of lunch before my upcoming meeting with Doctor Oobleck. Unfortunately he hadn't given me a specific time, so I wanted to get there as soon as possible. Better to be early than late.<p>

I got my food and made my way over to my team's usual table. The rest of the team was already there, eating.

"How are you today, Kevin?" Lily asked as I sat down.

"Nervous." I said. "I'm not entirely sure what Oobleck wants to talk to me about."

"Well worrying isn't going to help, now is it?"

"I guess not." I poked at my mashed potatoes. The food here tasted different from the stuff back home. It was more... intense isn't quite the right word, but it's the closest I can think of. It was like there was more substance to it, more flavor. It was rather hard to describe actually.

"I guess not." I repeated. "So, what have you guys been up to this morning?"

"Weapon maintenance." Lily said. "Unfortunately Echino doesn't look after itself."

"I was with Rachel." David said. "She pranked every single member of CLVR. Twice."

"How did she- Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "It was a lot of fun!"

"I'm sure."

The table lapsed into relative silence after that as we all sat around eating. Lily was the first to leave, saying something about a letter she had to write. Rachel left soon after, a dangerous smile on her face.

"You'd better go after her." I said to David.

"You're keeping track of her for the next weekend." he said as he got to his feet.

"Alright, I think I can handle that. Just let me get a tracking device installed on her first. And maybe some tranquilizers too."

David chuckled and started after Rachel. I checked my scroll. Half past noon. Time to go. I cleared off the table, grabbed my stuff, and started towards Oobleck's office. Hopefully this wouldn't go too badly.

**A/N: And so ends chapter ten.**

**Thank you to Fourze for your reviews. It's Clover for two reasons: One, color motif. Monty actually published a set of rules for making characters for the world of RWBY, and I'm trying to follow them. That means every one of my OCs has a color motif and the teams each have a color motif as well. Two, because Clover is so much more ironic and therefore amusing than Cleaver would be.**

**Also, thank you to the anonymous guest again. The Rachel/Charlotte dilemma will be resolved eventually, but not any time soon. As for why Kevin didn't have that conversation with Blake before, the simple answer is that he didn't think it was worth bothering. The more complicated answer is that Kevin is a brilliant but somewhat arrogant person who assumed Blake knew he'd figured it out. The full explanation would take way too much time for me to put it here, so lets move on. As for how I come up with my teams' and my OCs' names, it varies. I usually start with one OC, then pick a team name, then build the team around them. That's how both DMND and MRLD came to be. DMND started with Miranda and MRLD started with Kevin. For CLVR however, I came up with the team name first, then the characters, so it really depends.**

**See you all next chapter.**


	11. Meeting the Doctor: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I made my way to Ooblecks office. I stood outside the door for a moment, then knocked.

"Come in, it's unlocked." Oobleck's voice came from within. I opened the door and stepped inside. "Ah, Mr. Malder, I was not expecting you so soon. Please, sit down." He was back to his usual animated self. I took a moment to observe his hair and hoped that I would never suffer from the same salt-and-grass look he was sporting before seating myself in the chair across from him.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" I asked.

"Yes, I want you to convince me that you were telling the truth yesterday. I want to hear about your world. What are the differences between the two?"

I took a moment to organize my thoughts before responding. "Professor-"

"Doctor!"

"Sorry, doctor, is it okay if I ask you a few questions too?"

"Very well. Please begin."

I took another moment before starting. "If I were to tell you everything that makes my world different from this one, we would be here for months, possibly years. But in the end, everything can be explained by four fundamental differences."

"And what are these differences?"

"Dust, Aura, Grimm, and Faunus." I said. "None of them exist in my world."

"Fascinating! Removing such basic elements of our world would create monumental differences!"

"Doctor, what do you think my world is like, taking those things into account?"

"Well I imagine you lack most modern technology, given that you do not have Dust to power it. I would also expect your world to be a more peaceful place given the lack of an external threat from the Grimm and the dangers inherent in warfare without Aura. I would also imagine your society would have less internal tension without the racial division between Humans and Faunus."

"Doctor, everything you've just said is completely backwards from the way it really is. I will grant that Remnant has a slightly higher degree of technological development, but Earth, my world, does a better job of exploiting the technology it does have. On the other hand, Remnant is a far more peaceful place than Earth, and has far less racial tension than my world does."

"That does not make much sense." Oobleck said. "Your world lacks the primary causes of conflict and the primary tools used for it."

"Humanity unites against threats greater than itself." I said. "In my world, there is no outside force that threatens humanity. Doctor, how many people, both Faunus and Human, live in Vale? Five million? Maybe ten?"

"The most recent census states a population of eight point six million."

"Let's assume for the moment that all four kingdoms are that large, even though Vale is the largest of the four. That gives us a total population of just under thirty five million for all of Remnant." I paused for moment. "My country is home to almost ten times that many people. My world is home to over seven billion humans. Two hundred times as many souls."

Oobleck stared at me in disbelief. "How is a population that large sustainable? Surely the world cannot support that many individuals."

"It can, and with room to spare. I don't think you quite understand something doctor. In my world, humanity dominates the entire planet. The entire world is ours."

I could see it in his eyes as he suddenly understood what the lack of Grimm meant. "But then, with so much space..."

"You would think we could coexist, right? No. Humanity unites to fight monsters. When the world fails to provide us with monsters to fight, we make our own. We turn on each other."

"Why?"

"Resources. Territory. Religion. Ethnicity. Patriotism. Pride. Humanity is not a gentle creature. We're predators. We are violent by nature. Without a suitable target for that aggression, we find other outlets. War is common in my world."

"You make your world sound like a dangerous place."

"It can be. There are places that are more dangerous than others. There are even places where nature still holds sway and mankind enters at its own risk. But the biggest threat to humans is from other humans." I considered for a moment, then continued. "Doctor, what would you say if I told you that humanity had developed a weapon with the potential to annihilate all life on the planet?"

"Why would such an device exist?"

"Devices. Plural. There are hundreds of them. They're called nuclear weapons."

"Why would anyone create one such weapon, let alone hundreds?"

"Only two of them have ever been used in anger. Those two helped end one of the bloodiest wars in history. That was nearly seventy years ago."

"They used weapons of that power against their fellow man?"

"Doctor, one thing we're very good at is dehumanizing anyone who is different from us. Remnant makes it even easier because the Faunus really are different from us on a biological level. But ears and tails aren't necessary. We can find differences anywhere. Skin color. Ideology. Religion. Place of origin. Gender. Sexual identity. Anything. Oftentimes we forget the other side is even human."

"And what is your opinion on this?"

"My opinion? We're all the same. When we're happy we smile. When we're sad we cry. When we're cut we bleed. We live, we fight, we die. We're all people. I include the Faunus in this too. I'm not even sure they qualify as a separate species from humans, given that hybridization is a proven possibility, and those hybrids are for the most part fertile. They might be a different sub-species, but they're close enough to still be human. In the end, it really doesn't matter what a person looks like."

"But not everyone shares your views."

"No. And some never will. Horrible crimes have been committed because of that. Does the word 'genocide' exist in this world?"

"I've never heard of it before."

"Good. It's horrible word for something even more horrible. The deliberate extermination of group of people based on something as trivial as ethnicity. Imagine if the Faunus were wiped out entirely, or at least pushed to the brink of extinction, by humans. That's genocide."

"And this... genocide, it has happened in your world?"

"More than once. It's not something we're proud of."

"You're telling me the worst parts of your world. Why?"

"Because it's not a fantasy world. It's reality, and reality is harsh place. If I only told you about the good things, would you believe me?"

Oobleck paused to consider. "No, I guess I wouldn't. However, I would still like to hear some of the best your world has to offer."

"Alright." I considered for a moment. "Our technology might be less advanced, but we make better use of what we do have. For example, we've made great strides in the understanding of physics. We've sent humans to the moon. We've sent machines to the other planets of the solar system. I imagine we know more about Earth than you do about Remnant. We may have more racial tension than you do, but we've made great strides to overcome it. My country enshrines equality. We haven't achieved it yet, but we're getting closer. Closer than Remnant is with regards to the Faunus. Our world is far from perfect, but we're working to improve it."

"Strange that such a world could result from changes many would welcome."

"Doctor, you don't know how lucky you are to have the Grimm and the Faunus. They provide convenient focal points for humanity's darker impulses. In the case of the Grimm, they allow you to use humanity's natural aggression for the good of mankind. With the Faunus, a convenient focal point isolates the problem, which may make it easier for you to uproot and destroy it once and for all. I hope."

"So you do not expect Remnant to go the way of your world?"

"No. Humanity has a talent for rising to the occasion. Remnant forces us to give the best we can. Given what this has done to your technology, I expect you will leave this world long before you worry about destroying it."

"Were you a historian in your world?"

I blinked, surprised. "No doctor. I'm far too young for that. I just have an interest in history. There's a quote from my world that I like. It says 'those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'"

"Odd that you would chose that quote. We have it here too."

"All the more reason to believe it. It remains true, even across the walls that separate our worlds. I would rather move forwards than repeat the mistakes of the past."

Oobleck considered me for several minutes. "Your story is beyond belief, yet at the same time I cannot believe it is a fabrication."

"Because it is too absurd and outrageous to be anything but the truth."

"Indeed. This does leave me with a problem however."

"Doctor, I don't want special treatment. That's why I came to your class in the first place."

"But yet I cannot in all fairness treat you as I would a normal student. It would be asking too much of you to keep up with the others."

"Doctor, whether or not it is fair, I want to try."

"But can you succeed?"

"I don't know yet, but if I fail it won't be for lack of trying."

"Hmmm, perhaps there is a way for you to improve your score. I will treat you as a normal student. But, if you wish, I will allow you to submit essays regarding the similarities and differences between our worlds' histories for extra credit. Be aware, I will not accept work of lesser quality as extra credit. You will have to earn every point."

"I think I can handle that." I said, ideas already starting to swirl around in my mind. "Thank you, doctor."

"You're very welcome." He picked up his coffee cup. Its contents had long since gone cold, but he drank it anyway. "Thank you for telling me your story. I will see you in class tomorrow."

"Yes doctor." I rose and left the office. _That went fairly well. It certainly could have gone much worse._ I thought to myself as I walked back to the dorm._ This might not be so bad after all._

**A/N: Kevin has a rather bleak view of the world, doesn't he? He's something of an idealist at heart, but at the same time he's rather depressed and disillusioned with the world.**

**Alrighty, the next few chapters are going to be important. Rachel will start making a little more sense, MRLD and DMND will team up, CLVR will most likely continue to suffer, and, most importantly, the first hints of the main plot for this story will finally start to appear! **

**See you all next chapter.**


	12. Forever Fall: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**I am having way too much fun writing this story.**

"I can't believe our first field trip is tomorrow!" Rachel squealed excitedly. "We're going to have so much fun!"

"Rachel, we're just going to Forever Fall to collect sap." Lily said. "They do this every year. It's not that interesting."

It was now week six of classes at Beacon. I was lying on my bed working on an essay for doctor Oobleck comparing the current Schnee Dust Company's practices and those of the industrial barons of the Industrial Revolution. It was hard work, mainly because I had exactly zero primary sources to work from, only my own memory. Unlike my first essay comparing and contrasting the Faunus War with various revolutions throughout history, the Industrial Revolution was not a topic I was particularly interested in. Frustrated, I decided to leave the essay for later.

"I'm certainly interested in going." I said. "Maybe I'll find a way home."

"I still don't believe you're from another world!" Lily shouted, more out of habit than anything else.

"And I still don't care if you believe it or not." I countered. "So there."

"You can be so childish!" Lily said.

"Youthful, not childish. Besides, I spend all day dealing with you guys. Associating with young people keeps you younger yourself."

"You're just making this up as you go, aren't you?" David asked.

"Guilty as charged. But does it matter?"

"I guess not." David said, grinning. "You're pretty good at making things up as you go."

"Finally, someone appreciates my talents!" I rose to my feet and gave an elaborate bow in David's direction. "I thank you, kind sir, for recognizing the greatness of both myself and my skills."

"I didn't say anything about greatness." David said, his grin widening.

"What? Are you saying I am not the epitome of greatness?" I demanded in a mock-offended voice, gesturing dramatically. "I am hurt by your lack of faith sir! My heart has been mortally wounded by your cruel words!"

The room deteriorated into laughter at my antics. I smiled. Six weeks had turned our team of strangers into a group of friends. I had gotten to know each of them a bit better, and for the most part I liked what I'd seen.

Lily and I had developed into a pair of bickering friends. We argued over everything, sometimes seriously, sometimes for the sake of argument, but in the end we had a mutual respect and trust for each other that I never would have expected when I first met her. Her occasional bouts of what I referred to as "Weiss-ity" were still annoying, but she was a valuable member of the team.

David was basically our anchor. Whenever Lily and I got to heated in an argument, when Rachel attached the beds to the ceiling (don't ask), when I got too caught up in my own little world, when Lily went off on tear about Rachel's antics, or anything else got out of control, David always brought us back to ground. He still enjoyed life with the rest of us, but he always kept both feet planted firmly on the ground, something the rest of us badly needed.

Rachel however was still something of a mystery. Every now and again she would do something out of character for both of her personas, but whenever I tried to talk to her about it she would brush me off, ignore me, or change the subject. I still hadn't gotten a good answer on what it was she was so afraid of. I tried asking her, but she never answered. I asked David, but he knew even less than I did, mostly because, unlike me, he wasn't the type to pry. Charlotte was even more mysterious, mostly because she was so seldom seen.

Charlotte had shown herself on precisely two occasions since Initiation. The first was when she was called up in Professor Port's class for one of his hands-on lessons. The poor Boarbatusk never even knew what hit it. The second was when CLVR decided to try cornering her. I arrived just in time to see her demonstrate why she doesn't carry a melee weapon. She doesn't need one. She doesn't have Yang's raw power, but the elegance and precision of her technique more than made up for any lack of strength. I ended up helping Wallace drag the other three unconscious members of CLVR to the infirmary. Neither incident had given me a chance to speak with her.

I was hoping this field trip might change things.

"Well hopefully you won't die on us just yet." David said. "We still have to make it through Beacon first. I'd rather not lose our leader after a month and a half."

"It was just my heart. The rest of me is fine."

"I don't think it works that way." Lily said, struggling to control her laughter.

"Okay, maybe my appendix then."

"Your what?" Lily looked at me like I'd just said something absurd.

"My appendix."

"What is that?"

"Um, it's a pretty much useless vestigial organ found in humans. Do you not have it here?"

"That sounds like the annigland."

"The what?" It was my turn to look confused.

"The annigland. It's pretty much exactly what you described."

"Huh. I wonder if it's the same thing with another name or something else entirely." I shook myself to clear my train of thought. "Either way it's a completely useless organ, so I should be fine." I glanced at the clock. "However, if we don't get to sleep soon, none of us are going to be any use tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night." My team chorused back. My team. It was going to be hard leaving these people when I finally did make it back to my world, but for now at least I was glad they were here.

* * *

><p>For once I managed to wake up early. I switched off the second and third alarm clocks, leaving the first to wake the rest of the team as I made my way over to the shower. It was nice having actual hot water for a change.<p>

I came out and got dressed. I checked the clock again. I still had a good fifteen minutes before the alarm went off. Well, no sense waiting around. rather than wake people up by traipsing through the halls I instead focused on my Semblance. An unfamiliar city landscape flashed before my eyes as I vanished from the dorm, only to reappear in the armory. I located my locker, keyed in my combination, and pulled out my weapons. I strapped on Molnair, then hesitated for a moment before deciding to bring Talon too.

Over the last few weeks I'd transformed the skeletal prototype into Molnair's mirror twin. Armored plating covered the mechanism from shoulder to wrist. The pneumatic ram that was Talon's purpose for existing poked out from under the sheathing, shining duly in the light. On either side of it a pair of machine gun barrels stuck out like fangs. I cannot tell you just how awesome it is to be a walking four machine gun battery, but suffice it to say that it was well worth the extra effort for getting Talon ready. I flexed my arms, pleased by the smooth whirs I heard from both weapons. I double checked the safeties before testing the functionality for the control gauntlets and weapons. Everything worked smoothly. I did a quick practice punch with my left hand, activating Talon as I did so. My punch reached its limit just as the ram struck with blinding speed. It was finally ready.

It was time for Talon's first field test.

I teleported back to the dorm just in time to hear the alarm clock go off.

"Kevin, turn that thing off!" I heard Lily exclaim. Groans of assent were heard from David and Rachel, although neither of them were fully awake yet.

"Sure thing." I said, walking over to the alarm clock and hitting the switch. There was a moment of silence as they stared at me in sleepy confusion.

"You're up before we are." Lily said in a stunned voice.

"Is it the end of Remnant already?" David asked.

"You're never up this early!" Rachel said.

"What can I say, we have a big mission to deal with. So let's get going!"

"I think I like the alarm clocks better." Lily muttered. "At least they can be turned off."

* * *

><p>We gathered outside of Beacon to prepare for our trip to Forever Fall. It would be my first time outside of Vale since I arrived three years ago. Maybe I would find something?<p>

My thoughts were interrupted by my scroll going off. Suddenly the group was serenaded by part two of _Red Like Roses_. I pulled it out and muted it before checking the screen. Ruby? What did she want? "Got to take this, be right back." I said to my team as I moved away from the group before answering the call.

"Ruby?"

"Hey Kevin, I wanted to talk to you before you go on your field trip."

"About what?" She sounded oddly serious, almost worried. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's probably nothing, just rumors, but you should be careful in Forever Fall. There's a lot of people saying the Grimm are getting more active. Stay safe and keep your team safe. I still want to meet them!" Her usual cheer was back in full force.

"Will do, thanks for calling. I'll let you know how it goes. Talk to you later." I hung up, troubled. Ruby wouldn't have called if she really thought it was nothing. Or at least, she wouldn't have called like that. She was worried, and that worried me. She had good instincts. If she thought there was a problem, then I definitely needed to be careful. I sighed. One of these days the world was finally going to cut me a break. I just hoped I lived long enough to see it. I made my way back to my team.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked.

"Ruby called. She wanted to warn me about the field trip. Apparently there's a rumor going around that the Grimm are acting up."

"A rumor?" David asked.

"Ruby said it was probably nothing, but she didn't sound so sure."

"What do you think we should do about it?" Lily asked.

"I don't know if there's anything we can do. We'll just have to be careful while we're out on the trip. David, I'm going to want you to keep an eye and an ear out for the Grimm at all times. If there's a problem, let me know immediately."

"Sounds like a plan." David said.

"Then let's go." I said, gesturing towards the trio of tilt jets waiting to take the class into Forever Fall. _It's probably nothing._ I thought to myself. _Just a rumor. Nothing worth worrying about._ The jets took off, bearing us and five more student teams into what might very well be harm's way.

**A/N: As Yang would say, the situation looks Grimm. Ow. Okay, that pun hurt even me. Moving on.**

**Quick question for you guys. This story is going to feature a bit of Whiterose in the background, although not for a while yet. Yes, I ship it. (Note the character listings for this story.) My question for you guys is: should Bumblebee also be a thing in this story? I'm kind of on the fence about this one, to the point of planning out two different versions of some scenes. **It won't have major impact on the story, but it will affect some of the character interactions.** What do you think? Leave a review or PM to let me know. **

**To the anonymous guest, Rachel's not getting any more sensible, although there is a scene planned where Charlotte grabs Kevin by the neck and throws him against a wall for...reasons. Reasons which will be explained later. However, there will be an explanation as to why she/they is/are the way she/they is/are. And now I've confused myself. Anyways, that's all for now. **

**See you all next chapter.**


	13. Forever Fall: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

The tilt jets landed at the edge of Forever Fall. Several people stopped to stare at the red leaves. I just kept going. I don't like Fall. Just about any other season is preferable in my opinion, so the bright red leaves on the trees really didn't do much for me. Just reminders I didn't need.

My team tagged along behind me. We each carried a jar for the sap while David had the equipment for tapping the trees. We had to get a ways into the forest to gather the sap that was needed, so we decided to pass the time with games. Unfortunately, Rachel was fixated on "I Spy" at the moment.

"I spy with my little eye, something..."

"Red? That begins with 'L'? Let me guess, leaves." I said.

"How did you guess?" She demanded.

"You use them three times in a row already." Lily said. "How about Twenty Questions?"

"Sure." I said. "I'm thinking of something red."

"Leaves." Rachel offered.

"Nope. Nineteen left."

"Rachel." David said.

"Yep." Rachel's usually garish outfit blended in quite well in Forever Fall. It was strange for her to be the least noticeable member of the team, but there it was. We kept going, keeping up the games as we walked.

A bit to our right I saw Team DMND. Dawn was looking at me strangely."What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"I taught them some travelling games. The one we're playing is called Twenty Questions, want to join?"

"Travelling games? Where do you get these weird ideas from?"

"My own little world, thank you very much." My own big world actually, but I didn't feel like explaining that right now.

"You're crazy, you know that right?"

"So I've been told. I prefer eccentric, but you know, potato, potahto."

"And now you're making no sense. Again."

"I regret nothing!"

"You never do."

That wasn't really true, but I let it slide. Either way, we were at our destination. "Alright, Team MRLD, let's collect that sap." We unpacked the sap collecting gear while David stood watch.

* * *

><p>"Alright, three down, one to go." I turned to hand Lily the now full jar of red sap. "Rachel, could you hand me the next jar?"<p>

"Sure!" She picked up the last jar we needed. We were almost done, maybe another half a dozen more of the trees and we could go back to the jets. She handed me the jar and I turned back to the tree.

"Kevin." David's voice was tight with alarm. "I hear Grimm."

I immediately rose to my feet. "Where? How many?"

David pointed towards the east. "I can't get an exact count, but there's a lot of them."

"Rough estimate?"

"Over five hundred. I keep picking up more. They're headed this way." Five hundred? That was insane! Grimm packs seldom exceeded double digits! Five hundred was all but unheard of!

"How long do we have?"

"Fifteen minutes at most."

"Shit." I dropped the empty jar. Not good. The entire expedition had twenty five people in it, all but one of whom were students. We couldn't fight that many Grimm. And with only fifteen minutes, there wasn't even enough time to evacuate. Even with my Semblance, I could only get maybe half of the expedition without killing myself, assuming I could even find everyone in time. My mind whirled as plans bounced through my head. Only one seemed workable. "David, go tell Professor Goodwitch what's going on. Help her get everyone to the tilt jets. Rachel, Lily, you're with me. We're going to buy some time."

"Are you sure about this?" David asked.

"No, but it's all I've got. Get moving." He turned and hurried back in the direction of the jets.

"Come on, let's move." I held out my hands. Lily and Rachel each took one. I focused on my Semblance, aiming for where we last saw Team DMND. I was going to need their help too.

* * *

><p>We burst into the clearing where DMND was working. Fortunately they hadn't gone far, so it only took a moment to find them.<p>

"Kevin? What are you doing here?" Dawn asked, holding a half full jar of sap.

"Grimm are attacking. Too many for us to fight. We have to buy some time for everyone to get out."

"How many Grimm?"

"David says over five hundred."

Her jar of sap hit the ground, forgotten. "Who do you need?"

"You and Nyx. Miranda and Drake should head to the tilt jets. Help everyone else get out."

"Got it." She turned to her team. "You heard the man! Let's move!"

"Thanks." I said.

"You have a plan?"

"Don't I always?"

"Right. Let's go."

Drake and Miranda rushed back in the direction of the jets while Nyx and Dawn huddled in with my team in a group hug. My Semblance activated again, struggling to pull five people through the gap between worlds.

We materialized at the edge of a large clearing, in between the Grimm and the other students. My scroll went off in my pocket. I wasted no time in answering it.

"Kevin, it's David. Goodwitch has called all the other teams back to the tilt jets. We're going to evacuate the area."

"Time estimate?"

"Twenty minutes, maybe more. CLVR in particular is a ways away."

"Then we'll try for thirty minutes. Tell Goodwitch she can leave without us. I'll see you back at Beacon."

"Good luck." He hung up and I tucked my scroll back into my pocket.

I turned to Lily. "Do you have any energy Dust on you? Not lightning Dust, energy."

"Yes, but not much. I don't really use it much because my Semblance makes it redundant."

"Can you use it to boost Rachel's Semblance?"

"Probably, but without more Dust I'll only be able to keep it up for a minute or so."

"Don't worry Flower Girl." Nyx said, flexing her cat-like claws. "That's where I come in." I absently noted the fact that Nyx was apparently a Faunus, complete with retractable claws. Good to know. More important however was her Semblance.

"Nyx, your Semblance lets you turn one type of Dust into another, right?"

"Exactly."

"Can you create more energy Dust?"

"Thought you'd never ask." She turned to Lily. "Crystal please. Doesn't matter what kind."

I turned to Dawn. "I'm going to need your help too. I want to scare the Grimm."

"That all? Too easy!" For her, it really was easy. Her Semblance made her the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. Granted that was all it did, but the ability to project pure fear is not to be taken lightly. For some reason that I didn't understand it worked even better against the Grimm than it did on humans or even animals. At the moment, I really didn't care why that was the case, just that it made her powers perfect for the job at hand.

"Don't go easy on them."

"Don't worry, they won't know what hit them."

"Good." I turned to the last member of the group. "Rachel, we need to give them something to associate with their fear, I want you to-" I cut off. Rachel wasn't here at the moment. Charlotte's cold and merciless eyes stared back at me. That was a problem.

"Yes?"

"You are not the girl I need right now. Give me back Rachel."

"She can't help you right now."

"Why not?" I demanded. Dammit, this wasn't the time for this!

Charlotte pointed at a Beowolf which had just appeared at the other edge of the clearing. She fired a dart which killed the beast in a gout of fire. "Rachel cannot help you."

"Well that's too bad, because I need her. Not you, her."

"You will be better off with me."

"I'll make that decision, now give me back Rachel!" From the corner of my eye I noticed Dawn and Nyx staring at us in confusion. I was going to have a lot of explaining to do when this was all over. Assuming we made it out alive.

"She will not be able to help you."

"I don't care what you think, I need her here, and I need her now." I paused, then continued. "As your leader and partner, I am ordering you to give me the girl I need, right now."

"Very well, but she won't be able to help you." Her eyes went dull for a moment, then brightened again. "Kevin?" She glanced across the clearing. Grimm were starting to move through the trees. "What's happening?" Her voice was shaking with fear. She was just barely hanging on.

"Rachel, I need you to look at me. I need your help. We're going to slow these Grimm down so everyone else can get out safely. Then we'll get out too. I'm not asking you to fight them, but I need you to help me with this. Can you do that?"

"I...I...I..." She was on the verge of a panic attack. I placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Look at me. Just me. Nothing else." She focused on my face and her breathing started to slow. "Good. I know you're scared, but I need you to use your Semblance for me. I need you to make a whole bunch of copies of me. Lily and Nyx will help, but you're the only one who can do it. Can I trust you?"

She took a deep breath, then nodded slowly.

"Good. Then let's get this started." The Grimm were just starting to enter the clearing. "Dawn, now!"

"You got it." She closed her eyes and focused on her power. I could almost see the waves of menace she was projecting in the direction of the Grimm. It was a good start, but an abstract fear wasn't going to stop them. We needed something they could attach that fear to. I stepped forwards.

"Lily, Nyx, Rachel, now!" Lily and Nyx began channeling energy into the trembling Rachel. She was terrified, on the verge of panic, but she did her job. Dozens of illusionary clones of me appeared around me. I was now a one man army. The Grimm slowed, but didn't stop. Time to drive the point home.

I picked my target. An Ursa Major. The armor covering it was thick, far too strong for me to cut through. But there are other ways of getting through armor. I charged towards the beast, my left fist swinging in for a punch to the face. A split second before impact, I activated Talon's ram. The spike functioned exactly as designed, flying out with blinding speed to crash into the monster's faceplate. I jumped back to avoid the creature's counter attack as cracks spiderwebbed across the surface of the armor. For a moment it held, then it shattered into a million tiny fragments. I grinned. without the armor, there was nothing but soft, unprotected skin between me and the beast's vitals. I brought Molnair's blade forward in a stab that pierced the creature's skull, killing it. I pulled the weapon out of the now steaming corpse before using my Semblance to disappear into the crowd of false mes.

The Grimm faltered. Their fear now had a face. The army of Grimm slowly formed a line, facing me and my illusionary army. None of them dared to challenge me, but they didn't retreat either. Instead we stared at each other.

"Kevin, I'm not sure how long we can keep this up!" Nyx's voice came from behind me. "Dawn is using her power up too fast and Rachel isn't doing so great."

"Just hang in there. We have to keep these things from getting through!" A particularly brave Beowolf broke from the line and charged across the clearing. I rushed to meet it. Its first blow skated off the armor I'd installed on Talon. I didn't give it the chance for another strike as I brought Molnair up and fired the machine guns into its chest at point blank. It fell back, dead. I used my semblance to vanish into the crowd again.

Time seemed to move at a snail's pace. It felt like a lifetime had passed already, but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. We had to hold on.

Nyx was yelling at me again. "Kevin, Dawn's starting to weaken!" Not good. Without her power, we didn't stand a chance.

"Can you strengthen her too?"

"We can try!"

Two more Beowolves decided to try their luck. I brought both Molnair and Talon up into firing positions, then pulled the triggers. The two monsters fell, dead. Fortunately the only Grimm that seemed to have that brave streak were the younger, weaker ones, but I knew our luck couldn't hold forever. We just had to hold out a little longer.

I honestly don't remember the next fifteen minutes of my life. I'm told I killed another half dozen Grimm ranging from Beowolves to an Ursa to a baby Death Stalker, but the next thing I knew, my scroll was going off again. I quickly pulled it out and answered.

"Kevin, we're clear." David's voice came through. "Get out of there."

"Got it." I stuffed the scroll back in my pocket. "Time to go!" I shouted at the others. Nyx was supporting a pale and exhausted looking Dawn while Lily was doing the same with a pale and terrified looking Rachel. I grabbed both pairs and brought forth the last dregs of my power. An underwater vista passed before my eyes and then we were back at Beacon's landing pad.

"We made it." I gasped. The adrenaline and terror finally caught up with me as I collapsed on the pavement, utterly spent.

**A/N: Well... That was a thing.**

**Thanks once again to everyone who left a review. You guys managed to double the review count since last chapter. Awesome. Particular thanks to Cyborg, whose input managed to push this chapter up almost a full day. It's always nice to see an old friend and your timing was perfect. My computer decided to eat the first version of this chapter, which left me rather demoralized. Just when I was about to give up on it for the day and come back tomorrow, I started getting a whole bunch of reviews, which always helps inspire me. Thanks.**

**I admit that the first few chapters of this story were not up to my usual standards of writing. Oh there's nothing _wrong_ with them, but it could have been much better. In my defense, I was still figuring out how the whole first-person perspective thing was going to work and I wasn't quite sure what I was doing with the plot yet. These things are no longer an issue, so hopefully the quality of future chapters will be up to my usual level.**

**As for Cinder's group, they're long gone. The only one who might show up is Neo, but that's not going to happen for quite a while yet. (Alas, no Torchwick in this story. The guy makes a really awesome villain.) The White Fang is still around, but in name only. They've been pretty thoroughly broken over the last decade. Membership is at a historic low, different factions are squabbling for power, and they no longer have anywhere near the resources they once did. They've also been more-or-less replaced by a coalition of more moderate Faunus rights groups, so they've lost all legitimacy in the eyes of the Faunus too.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	14. Shatterpoint

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**The reviews response section has been temporarily relocated to this location for various reasons. **

**To the anonymous guest, the Semblances weren't designed for the situation, the situation was designed for the Semblances. One of my goals for that fight was to show off some of what DMND could do, so I built the fight in such a way that they could perform to their fullest. Nyx's Semblance is actually something I considered giving Lily, but decided against it in favor of her Dust amplification Semblance. I did reshuffle Miranda and Dawn's Semblances a bit, transferring Miranda's Semblance to Dawn in favor of giving Miranda the ability to pass through solid objects, but the Semblances did already exist.**

**To Cyborg, uh, I'm not really sure what to say to that, other than that I'm rather flattered. If you liked RWBY and are interested in similar stuff, my recommendations are: Soul Eater, which is pretty good once you manage to get past some slapstick fanservice (As a general rule, I don't like fanservice. Praise be to Monty for his anti-upskirt technology.) Attack on Titan if you're feeling brave, and Fullmetal Alchemist just on general principles. Speaking of FMA, Molnair and Talon are loosely based on Edward's arm. As for fear attracting Grimm, they are attracted by the fear of humans and Faunus, but not by their own fear. It's one of those "You like the fear of others, but can you handle your own?" sort of situations. Check out the third "World of Remnant" video, it does an excellent job explaining the Grimm. **

**Now, on with the story.**

I walked into the library. Finally, some peace and quiet! I wasn't sure which was worse, the people who thought I was some sort of freak who was somehow responsible for an army of Grimm appearing out of nowhere, or the people who thought the only reason I didn't routinely walk across swimming pools was because I didn't want my shoes to get wet. It was driving me crazy! I was already the strangest student in the school, I really didn't need this kind of attention!

Three days had passed since the disastrous trip to Forever Fall. Ozpin had questioned us all about what happened and we each did our best to explain, then tried to go back to our normal lives. On the plus side, every member of both MRLD and DMND had been given extra credit for our efforts, and the entire expedition had been given the rest of the week off to recover. The down side was that the story was already starting to spread and mutate, as stories are prone to doing. I'd already heard of at least three different versions of the story, each more absurd than the last. I really hoped this settled down soon, otherwise I was going to have to spend the rest of my time at Beacon in my dorm.

Right now however, I had something else on my mind. I moved over to a computer and logged in with my student ID. I wanted to do some research on something, or rather, someone.

A fear of the Grimm is normal in this world. They are the monsters of the night, the horrors of nature, the soulless terrors that stalk humanity. A paralyzing fear like Rachel's was not normal. That sort of fear doesn't just happen, there has to be a reason for it. I didn't hold much hope that I would find anything, but I didn't want to push Rachel on this just yet. Not when she was still so fragile. But I needed to know more. I typed in Rachel's name in the search bar, once again cursing the weird key layout that Remnant used. I hit the search button.

If you've never tried looking someone who isn't famous up on the internet, let me tell you something. It doesn't work very well. You'll typically find some people with the same name. If you're lucky, you might find the person you're actually looking for, but you're not going to find much. It's not as bad in Remnant where the population is so much smaller, but still, I was surprised when my first result was actually the person I was looking for.

However, that surprise was quickly overwhelmed by a much greater one when I realized what I was looking at.

It was an obituary. Rachel Charlotte died ten years ago.

I shook my head in confusion. This didn't make any sense! I decided to read the story. It was a typical obituary, talking a little about the person, mourning the seven year old girl who died, discussing the tragic Grimm attack which had cost her her life. Apparently the now-defunct White Fang had been involved, along with someone named Roman Torchwick. There was a brief segment which mentioned the intervention of several hunter teams which had contained the attack before it got out of hand. Apparently Rachel was one of only three fatalities from the attack. This still didn't make any sense. The age was right, the physical description matched, even the personality matched, but Rachel was clearly still here. And I don't believe in ghosts. I kept reading.

"Rachel Charlotte is survived by her parents Lucinda and Horace Charlotte, her older brother Steven Charlotte, and her- Oh." That explained quite a bit. I typed the new name into my search bar. Fortunately, being on the Beacon network meant I had access to some of the school's less personal files. I found a match.

"Well then, 'Rachel', if that's the way it is..." I paused for a moment. Did I really have the right to confront her on this? If she wanted to keep her story to herself, was that any of my business? No. It wasn't my business. But I had to do it anyways. She was my partner. I had to at least try to talk to her. I printed out the obituary and a few other pieces of relevant information, then made my way back to the dorm.

* * *

><p>That night I slipped out of the room and made my way to a quiet corner of the school, away from the dorms. As I expected, I heard footsteps behind me.<p>

"Hey there."

"What are you doing up so late?" Rachel asked.

"I wanted to talk with you, in private."

"About what?"

"Maybe you should tell me, Rebecca." I let the name drop without even a hint of emphasis.

Rachel's eyes flashed to Charlotte's frozen stare, an icy fire burning within. She walked up to me and grabbed my by the collar. "Where did you find that name?"

"Rachel, the real Rachel's, obituary." I held up the sheet of paper I had printed it out on.

She slammed me against the wall. "How dare you?"

"Forgive me for being concerned about my partner, but I wanted to help." I gasped out. Even with my Aura, that still hurt.

"Then you can leave it alone."

"No, I don't think I can." I was walking a thin line here. If I didn't push now I'd never get another chance, but I also had to worry that she might actually hurt me.

"And why not?"

"Because ignoring it isn't going to make it go away." She glared at me. Somewhere in the back of my mind a voice screamed at me to quit before she killed me. I ignored it. "Your twin sister died. There's no escaping it. Adopt her name, her habits, her persona, none of it will bring her back. Nothing can do that." Tears filled her blazing eyes as she pulled back to punch me.

"Go ahead. Hit me. It won't change anything. It hurts, doesn't it? How many of your scars have I just ripped open? How much does it hurt?"

"Shut up!" Her fist started moving. I decided getting punched wasn't a good idea, so I teleported behind her. She spun, lashing out in a kick which I ducked.

"You think you're keeping her alive by pretending to be her?" I dodged another punch. "All you're doing is dragging out the pain. You're trying to keep her alive by killing yourself!" She kept up her attack, but her anger left her uncoordinated and clumsy.

"I don't care!" Her next punch connected with my shoulder. It hurt, but that wasn't important right now. Instead I grabbed her by the wrist.

"Well guess what kiddo? I do care." I spun and pushed her down, pinning her arm behind her back. "And I'm not going to let you keep doing this to yourself."

"It's not your decision! You don't know what it's like!" She was screaming now. Fortunately the dorms were on the other side of the school, but if she kept this up we were going to wake someone.

"No, I don't know what it's like! But I do know what it's like to lose someone!"

She struggled against my hold, trying to attack me again. "Liar! You don't know anything! I felt her die! I felt it when her Aura vanished!"

"I'm sorry for your loss, and I respect your suffering, but this isn't healthy! If you keep this up you'll destroy yourself!"

"I don't care!" Tears flooded her eyes.

"Yes, you do! That's why you're doing it in the first place! You wish you had been the one to die instead, so now you're trying to join her!"

She collapsed, the fight suddenly going out of her. I let go of her arm. She started sobbing as I knelt beside her, cautiously placing a hand on her back.

"Look, I know it hurts. But it's been ten years. You have to move on. You have to let yourself heal. You have to stop trying to bring back someone who's gone, and you have to stop trying to kill your own identity."

"Who?" Her voice was weak, but she still rasped out the question. "Who did you lose?"

"My father." I said. "I don't really like talking about it, but he died when I was nine." My voice caught. "Ten years ago, as of next week. There's a reason I don't like Fall."

"How did- How did you deal with it?"

"I didn't, at least not at first, but all wounds heal if you give them time. Maybe not fully, but they do heal. Yours will too, if you let them."

"I- I don't know how."

"Do you want to talk to someone from the health office?" I asked. If I could get her to actually talk to someone, we might be able to make some progress.

"No." Her voice was hard and uncompromising. So much for that idea. Time to bite the bullet.

"How about me then?"

"Not really." Her voice was back to being weak and broken.

"But you're willing to do so?"

She sat motionless for several seconds, then nodded slowly. "I guess I have to."

"I'm not that good at this sort of thing." I said. "I can't make any promises. I may even make things worse, but I can at least try to help you. But only if you're willing to let me."

"I- I'm sorry for attacking you."

"Don't worry about it. I deserved it." I rose, pulling her up onto her feet as well. "Just promise you'll let me try to help you, okay?"

"I promise."

"Then in that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca Charlotte."

"Thank you." She brushed at her eyes, trying to dry the tears.

"Now we just have to tell David and Lily."

She stiffened in alarm. "I'm not sure..."

"Rebecca, you need to start living as yourself. Not as Charlotte, not as Rachel, but as Rebecca. You can't do that if you're hiding from them."

"I..."

"I can tell them if you want, but it would be better if you did so."

"Tell us what?" Lily's voice came from behind me. I turned to see that the rest of the team was there. David looked at me with a mixture of horror and sympathy. His Semblance must have allowed him to hear the whole thing.

"Lily, David, meet Rebecca." I pointed to the many-named girl beside me.

"Hi." She waved weakly.

**A/N: Well, that looks like a good place to stop.**

**One last quick announcement, I have decided how I'm going to handle Bumblebee for this story. However, that's still a ways off and won't happen until the Whiterose stuff is dealt with and Yang has a really drunken chat with Kevin.**


	15. Shattered: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"So, neither Rachel or Charlotte were real, were they?"

We were back in our dorm now. Rebecca was now curled up on her bed and had started sobbing again. I expected this to last for a while, so I and the rest of the team resigned ourselves to a long and sleepless night. Lily was currently out getting us something to drink. Coffee for her and David, tea for myself and Rebecca. I needed some caffeine, but the coffee in this world is so strong that I can't even try drinking it, so tea it was. Rebecca though was getting the caffeine free stuff.

"N-n-no. They weren't." I had guessed as much. Neither of them had seemed...whole. Just simple, one-sided versions of people.

I gently put my arm around my broken partner. "That's okay. You don't need them anymore. Just be yourself. Let us see who you really are."

"What if-" She broke off into another hiccuping sob.

"No 'what ifs', okay? Just do it. I want to meet the real you, you got it?"

"O-o-okay."

"Look, tomorrow's Saturday. For Sunday, let's go down into Vale together. Just the four of us. How does that sound?"

"That-that sounds...nice."

"Then that's what we'll do." I glanced up at David who was watching wordlessly, yet somehow lending his support with his very presence. He nodded. "That's what we'll do. Just the four of us, so we can all meet the real you."

Lily arrived then with the drinks. Soon everyone had a mug. Hours passed. I don't remember everything we talked about, but Rebecca slowly calmed down, her tears slowing and finally stopping. Sometime around one in the morning she finally fell asleep.

"Well, that was eventful." Lily commented in her most cynical voice.

"Lily, cut the act." I snapped at her. "This isn't funny. She's hurting. Bad. I couldn't get her to talk to a professional, it was hard enough convincing her to talk to us. I literally had to fight her to get this far." I shook my head. "I don't know what I'm doing. I have no idea how to help her. She's been keeping this bottled up for ten _years_. I don't even know if there's anything we _can_ do for her."

"Talk to Ozpin." David said. "Ask him for advice."

"I don't want to bring anyone else in on this without asking her first. I don't want to tell him about this without her consent."

"You don't have to tell me." Ozpin's said, opening the door. I jumped. How long had he been there? "Kevin, would you walk with me?"

"Uh, sure." I rose and exited the dorm, carefully closing the door behind me. "How much do you know?" I asked, confused.

"All of it. That was brave of you, pushing her the way you did." He started walking. I followed.

"Thanks, I think."

"You have done well with your partner."

"It feels like I hit her with a sledgehammer. Am I really the right person to be her partner? To lead MRLD?"

"I have spoken with Doctor Oobleck. He told me why you stayed."

"Is it enough?" I asked. "Is responsibility enough to make it worth me staying here? I don't know if I can give my team the leader they deserve when part of me resents every minute I spend here."

"You may dislike being here, but when it matters, you give to greatest of your ability."

"The greatest of my ability. You mean I get lucky."

"Hardly."

"Oh yeah? Then what about what happened in Forever Fall? I still can't believe that worked. If even one thing had gone wrong, I'd have gotten myself and at least four other people killed. I got lucky."

"Was there a better option?"

"Yes. I could have done it much better and much safer with fewer people. All I would have need was myself, Dawn, and one more person."

"You would have lured them away with someone's fear. Tell me, who would that third person have been? Who would you have used as the bait?"

"I don't know, but that's not relevant!"

"It is entirely relevant. You would have forced someone else to suffer for your plan."

"It would have been safer, with fewer risks."

"Perhaps, but if you were in the same situation now, could you do it?"

My voice caught. I wanted to say that I could, but the words stuck in my throat. "...No. I couldn't do that to someone. Not unless it was the only option left."

Ozpin looked at me sadly. "You bear a great burden. You care about those around you, even when your mind tells you you should not."

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed." I muttered dryly. "Is that why I'm still in this school?" I forced every ounce of sarcasm I could muster into my voice.

Ozpin was smiling now. "Your partner is not the only person who hides their true self."

"Well, what you get is never what you see." I was getting irritated. How could he be so calm?

"Indeed. But sometimes what you get is more than what it seems. Kevin, you've done the best you can for her. Right now you're the only person who can truly help her."

I glanced ahead. We were in the plaza of the statue. The stone hunters still stood, still crushing the Grimm beneath their feet. "What if I'm not good enough?" I asked. "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm running on instinct and guesswork. I'm afraid I'll make things worse, not better. I may have already permanently broken her!"

"You have. She can never go back to what she was before."

"But I don't know if she'll ever recover! I want to help her, but all I've done is hurt her!"

"That is a risk you have to take. It's far too late to back out now."

"I know." I said. "But if she breaks down..."

"It will indeed be your fault. But was she really whole before?"

"No, but at least part of her was happy."

"Was she really happy?"

"I don't know!" I threw my hands up in confusion. "She was certainly better off than she is now!"

"You said she was killing herself. You have stopped her from doing so."

"Yeah, but I may have just done it for her!"

"You have given her a chance to heal. Her last chance. She will need your help to take it."

"What she needs is a psychiatrist! I don't know how to do this!"

"You are the one she trusts. You are her partner. This is your responsibility."

"...Damn it." I sighed. "You know exactly what buttons to push, don't you?"

"If you ever need to talk, my office is always open."

"...Thank you." I turned to walk back to my dorm.

* * *

><p>I opened the door quietly. Rebecca was still asleep, but she was not sleeping quietly. She kept thrashing, tears flowing from her closed eyes. I hurried over.<p>

"She's been like this for the last ten minutes." Lily said. "We can't get her to lay still."

"Rebecca, it's me, it's Kevin, your partner." I put my hand on hers. "You're safe, you can relax." I knelt down to get a little closer to her."

"I'm scared." she muttered in her sleep.

"Shhh, it'll be fine. We're all right here. Me, and David, and Lily. We'll protect you."

She slowly relaxed, the tension flowing out of her body.

I turned to the others. "Get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on her."

"Are you sure?" David asked. "I can watch her if you want."

"No, this is my fault. I know she's your friend too, but I'm the one responsible for this. Let me handle it."

"If you're sure, then I won't argue with you." He went back to his bed.

"Lily, if you want to use my bed, that's fine. You might actually get some sleep over there." I pointed to the other side of the divided room.

"Are you sure? What if you need someone over here?"

"If I need someone I'll call for you. Go get some sleep." She left too and I sat down on her bed to watch over Rebecca. I did this to her. I was the one who shattered her identity. Now I had to put her back together.

Just like Ruby did for me. I still had to call her, let her know what had happened in Forever Fall. But that could wait. For now I had a partner to watch over. I settled in for a long night.

**A/N: Further explanation of Rebecca/Rachel/Charlotte will be forthcoming, but I think that's enough torment for her for one night.**

**Ozpin is really fun character to work with. He can be reassuring one minute, then delivering a "the reason you suck" speech the next. (I spend way too much time on tv tropes.)**

**To the anonymous guest, Rebecca had every right to be angry. Kevin pried into her personal life, dragged out her single most painful secret, and then confronted her about it with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. I'd be angry too. As for whether her actions were childish, that's open for debate. All the members of MRLD, with the possible exception of David, carry around their fair share of issues. Lily's a brat, Kevin has a bizarre mix of arrogance and self-loathing, and Rebecca's a complete emotional train wreck. Welcome to the dysfunction junction.**

**That's all for this chapter, see you all next time.**


	16. Shattered: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I drifted back to full consciousness as the sun rose. I hadn't slept exactly, but I had managed to rest. Rachel, no, Rebecca, was still sleeping. Silent tears rolled down her face. I felt so helpless. What was I supposed to do? I decided a good place to start was to take care of myself. It wouldn't exactly help her to see me neglecting myself. I made my way into the bathroom for a quick shower, hoping to clear away the gritty feeling that covered my whole body. I emerged a short time later, feeling somewhat more at peace with the world.

I switched off all the alarm clocks, not wanting to wake Rebecca just yet. I changed into some fresh clothes, then took stock of the room. Everyone else was still asleep. I checked the clock. Breakfast was just starting. Well, at least I could do this much. I teleported into the cafeteria, and grabbed a pair of trays. One for myself, one for my partner. One quick explanation of Miss Charlotte not feeling well and the cooks agreed to let me bring her some breakfast. I grabbed some of her favorites, gathering a small meal for myself to go with it. I also grabbed some more tea. I was going to need the caffeine to get through the day. Hopefully it would also help Rebecca through today as well.

I gathered my collection onto the trays before teleporting back into the room. It was all I could do. It felt like such an insignificant gesture in the face of what Rebecca was going through. I noticed David glancing in from the other side of the room. I waved him over.

"How's she doing?" He asked in a gentle tone.

"I don't know. She's still asleep, but she won't stop crying." I shook my head. "I brought some food for her. It was the only thing I could think of."

"You want me to take over while you get some sleep?"

"No. This is my responsibility. I did this."

"And I should have done it years ago."

"David, you and I both know that you'd never do this to her. It takes a heartless bastard like me to rip open someone's scars like this."

"Yeah. A heartless bastard who just got his partner breakfast in bed."

"You make me sound so chivalrous. Last night I twisted her arm behind her back and pinned her to the ground."

"And you make yourself sound so much worse than you are."

"Thanks, you big liar. I never told you guys the real reason I came here. I'm not some sort of hero. If you knew-"

"I know enough." He put one of his massive hands on my shoulder. "You cared enough to find out who she really was, before she vanished forever. That means you've saved all three of us at least once."

"I've never saved you."

"Initiation?"

"You would have been fine."

"I was in danger and we both know it."

"Fine. But I never saved Lily."

"Also initiation. She told me what happened."

"To hear you tell it, I'm some magnificent hero."

"Maybe you are."

"No hero would do the things I've done. Certainly not for the reasons I've done them. I'm just a man."

"All the best heroes are."

"You're weird in the morning. Since when are you this philosophical?"

"Since you needed it. You're not usually this depressed."

"Hmph."

"I'll go wake Lily. Call if you need anything."

"Got it." I went back to watching Rebecca as she slept. The tears were still there. What had I done?

* * *

><p>Rebecca finally woke at about ten in the morning. David and Lily were out doing things, leaving just me and Rebecca in the room.<p>

"Hey there." I said. "Good morning."

"Kevin?"

"Yeah, it's me. Not who you wanted?"

"No, it's fine, I-" I could see a string of revelations go through her mind as what I guessed was the events of last night flashed through her mind. "Did I-? Did you-?"

"Yeah. It's alright. I'm going to help you get through this." I picked up the tray I'd gathered for her. Lily had taken the time to set up a tiny fire Dust based heater to keep it warm for her. I turned and placed it in Rebecca's lap. "This is for you."

She looked at the food, then at me. "You didn't have to..."

"I had to do something, and this was all I could think of. Here." I offered her the cup of tea. "Drink this."

She began to slowly eat her breakfast, moving so cautiously that it seemed like she was afraid of shattering. "...Thank you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I...don't know."

"I can wait if you don't want to do this just yet."

"No, that's...that's alright."

"Then why don't you start by answering a quick question of mine." I paused, then continued. "You really are terrified of the Grimm, aren't you? You could deal with them as Charlotte because you shut out all your emotions, but you still fear them, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind telling me why?"

"When- when the White Fang crashed the train into the city, there was an explosion. My family, we were out for lunch. I remember pushing Rachel, and then the explosion happened. She was hit by one of the pieces of the ground. She fell, and she didn't get up. Then, the Grimm came out of the ground. One of them- one of them landed beside her." She was shaking. I put my hand on her wrist, holding it carefully. "She was so scared! She wanted me to help her! But I couldn't!" The tears were back. "I just watched! I watched it kill her! I watched! And I didn't do anything!"

"Rebecca, you were seven. There wasn't much you could do."

"I didn't even try! I couldn't move!"

"Rebecca, you were a little girl. If you'd tried to help you would have been killed too, and Rachel would still be dead. I know that's not what you want to hear, but there was nothing you could have done."

She sniffled, taking another tiny bite of her eggs.

"When did you start trying to be her?"

"I don't remember."

_Makes sense. _I thought. _I can't remember the first month after my father died. _"That's alright. When did you start using Charlotte?"

"A few years later. I...was having trouble...with some people at school. I started hiding what I felt. Then it turned into another me."

"You already wore one mask. Putting on another one wouldn't have been too hard." I observed.

"I guess not." She sipped her tea.

"Why did you really come to Beacon?" I asked. "You said you wanted to beat your fear, but is that he only reason?"

"...No."

"Let me guess. You want revenge."

"...Yes."

"You do know that's a pointless quest? The Grimm that killed Rachel is almost certainly dead."

"I know. I saw it die."

"Who killed it?"

"A girl. She was dressed in black, and she had a bow on her head. She shot it."

I caught my breath. I knew who that was. "Would you want to meet her?"

"I...I don't know. Could I?"

"I think so. Do you mind if I make a call?"

"Sure."

I stepped over to the other side of the room. Hopefully this would help more than it hurt. I pulled out my scroll and dialed the familiar number. The ringtone went for bit before my call was answered.

"Hey Ruby. It's Kevin."

"Kevin? How are you? You didn't call! How did the field trip go?" Ruby's voice came over the scroll.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how I'm doing right now Ruby. It's...complicated. I'm sorry I didn't call before this, but there was a lot going on. We ran into the Grimm in the forest. It was...it was pretty bad."

"That must be why Ozpin's asking for Hunter teams." Ruby said. "He contacted us yesterday."

"Then you'll be coming to Beacon?"

"Yes. We should be leaving this afternoon and we'll arrive this evening."

"That's good. That's very good." I took a breath. "I need some help on something."

"What is it?"

"One of my teammates, she...she's not doing so well."

"Why not take her to the infirmary?"

"It's not that kind of problem. Will Blake be with you?"

"Of course! Why do you need Blake to help you with one of your teammates?"

"It's complicated, and I don't really feel comfortable explaining it over the phone. I just think it would help if she talked with my teammate."

"Blake's not really the most talkative person."

"I know. But it has to be her."

"Why?"

"I can't really explain right now, but I'll tell you as much as I can when you get here."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"Or what, you'll hug me to death?"

"No. I'll have Yang hug you to death."

I shuddered. "I surrender."

"Good! I'll see you later!" She hung up.

"Who was that?" Rebecca asked as I came back around to her side of the room

"That was Ruby, the leader of Team RWBY. She's going to be arriving later today."

"Why did you call her?"

"Two reasons. One, because I promised her I would. Two, because she knows the girl who killed that Grimm."

"She does?"

"Yes." I said. "And if you want to, you can talk to her this evening. She's not the most friendly, but she knows what it's like trying to hide who you really are."

"I think I'd like that."

"Alright then." I thought for a moment. Team RWBY was coming here. This could be interesting. Between Ruby and me, Blake and Rebecca, and Weiss and Lily, this was going to be an eventful visit.

**A/N: And RWBY finally makes a personal appearance! This should be fun.**

**To the anonymous guest who really should pick a name for the purpose of convenience if nothing else, I would suggest rereading the chapter in question. I don't think events took place in the order you think they did. As for Kevin and Rebecca, this is far from over, as is the whole story. You thought this was the main plot? All of this stuff with Rebecca is just one of the side plots. The main plot hasn't done anything since they came back from Forever Fall. I don't have a good estimate of how long this story is going to be, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was less than a quarter of the way through. I still have a _lot _of ground to cover.  
><strong>


	17. Shattered: Part Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the USA, and a happy, um, November twenty seventh I guess, to all my readers from outside the states. In the spirit of the holiday, I'd like to thank you guys for reading, for your reviews, for the follows, and for the favorites. I just wanted you guys to know, I really do appreciate your support.**

** Now, on with the story.**

"She's awake?" David asked as he stepped into the room.

"Hi." Rebecca said, waving cautiously.

"She's calmed down a bit, if you want to talk to her." I said.

"Yeah, thanks." David said, moving over to join us.

I stood up from my seat on Lily's bed. "All yours man." I said, reaching up to put my hand on his shoulder. "If you need me, just call."

"I will."

"I know she's an old friend of yours, and I'm sorry for doing this to her." I said.

"You did what you had to." My own shoulder disappeared into David's hand. "Now it's my turn."

"I'll give you some privacy." I pulled away and exited the dorm. Lily was there.

"How's she doing?"

"Better, I think. David's in there talking with her. Why are you outside?"

"I didn't want to intrude."

"Intrude?"

"David's an old friend of hers and you're her partner. I'm just a teammate."

"Maybe, but she's going to need your help too." I said. "We have some guests arriving soon, do you want to help me get ready for them?"

"Guests? Who?"

"You'll find out when they get here." _  
><em>

"What exactly do we need to do to get ready?"

"Um... Normally I'd say clean the dorm, but I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. Actually, I have no idea."

"What kind of guests?"

"Um, I'd say friends of mine, but that would give the wrong impression." I thought for a moment. "I guess in at least one case family would be closer. She's certainly the closest thing I have to family in this world."

"How many are coming?" she said, not even bothering to mention her skepticism regarding my other-worldly origins.

"Four of them, probably."

"Is it a Hunter team?"

"...Yes."

"And you're not telling me who it is?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I refuse to answer that."

"Fine, be that way."

"I will, thank you."

"You're insufferable!"

"Yep. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pick something up from the school store. The way we're going through tea around here, it'd make sense if we get a pot for the room. Be back soon." I began to activate my Semblance.

"Wait, I wasn't done-" I never heard the rest of her comment as I vanished from the hall.

* * *

><p>Team RWBY in the early evening, just as the light began to fade from the sky. Rather than wait inside for them I and David were now at the entrance to Beacon while Lily took her turn talking with Rebecca.<p>

"So, mind telling me who we're waiting for?" David asked me as the tilt jet appeared on the horizon.

"You'll find out in a minute." I replied. "How's Rebecca?"

"She's still pretty shaken. How long do you think that will last?"

"I have no idea, I'm not a mental health expert, but if I had to guess, probably weeks. Maybe longer. Maybe much longer."

"You need to stop beating yourself up for this."

"I'll stop when she's better."

David looked at me with alarm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I said. "It's just... I hurt her David. I hurt her badly. Even if it was for the best, even if she comes out better off, I still put her through this."

"And you don't like putting other people in harm's way."

"No, I don't. I don't like 'necessary sacrifices'."

"Really? Because judging by the way you play chess, I disagree."

"It's so much simpler when they're just pieces on the board and all that matters is the victory. In life you can win the battle and still lose everything."

"You still owe me a rematch by the way."

"Hah! You mean I owe you another crushing defeat! You haven't beaten me even once!"

"One day my friend, one day."

"Keep dreaming." I took a deep breath. "And thanks."

"No problem. You're my friend too." We turned back to the landing pad as the tilt jet touched down and four women stepped out. "Lily is going to lose her Dust." David prophecized.

"Kevin!" Ruby exclaimed, rushing over to hug me. "How are you? Where's the rest of your team? Have you gotten taller?"

"Ruby...lungs...air...breathe..." I gasped out. Ruby may not look it, but she can squeeze the life out of you.

"Oops, sorry." She let me go.

"I'm okay, aside from being flattened just now. Have you been taking lessons from Yang?" I glanced over at the cheerfully smiling blonde.

"Sorry!" Ruby blushed a bit.

"I don't know if I've gotten taller. Last time I checked, I was still about six two. The walking mountain next to me is David Marin, and the rest of my team's in our dorm."

"A pleasure to meet you." David bowed with a grace that belied his size. "Ruby Rose, I presume?"

"Yep, that's me!" Ruby said brightly.

He turned to the rest of Team RWBY. "And these must be Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, and Yang Xiao Long." He bowed to each in turn.

"Well, at least one of Team MRLD has some manners." Weiss said.

"Hey, I have manners!" I interjected.

"Manners have no value if you never use them." Weiss's chilly voice cut across my complaint.

"Good to see you too Weiss." I grumbled. Weiss and I have never gotten along and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. Of course it doesn't help that Ruby keeps hugging me. Every time she does that, Weiss just glares at me. She really needs to quit with the tsundere act and just ask Ruby out.

I turned to David. "You done showing off?" He smiled slightly. "Good." I turned back to Team RWBY. "Hi Yang, Blake."

"We need to go talk to Ozpin now," Yang said, "but we'll catch up later, sound good?" She was already making her way towards the doors of Beacon.

"Yeah, that's fine." I turned to the woman in black. "Blake, could I talk to you in private?"

She tensed. "About what?"

"I need a favor."

She glared at me, then glanced over at the rest of her team. Ruby nodded to her. She turned back to me. "Alright. What do you want?"

"If you'll follow me?" I started in the direction of the dorms.

"We'll let Ozpin know you're here!" Yang shouted as we walked off. As Blake and I left the area I saw the three women follow David into the building. Ozpin had given him the responsibility of leading them to their temporary rooms for their stay at Beacon.

* * *

><p>I pulled Blake into a small lounge in the dorm building. It was usually used for groups that wanted to study together without using one of their rooms.<p>

"What is it you want?" Blake asked, defensively.

"I need your help. Or rather, my partner does."

"What does your partner need help with that you can't do yourself?"

"A little less than ten years ago, an event happened in Vale. There was a breach in the defenses. Grimm flooded in." I said.

"I know. I was there."

"Yes. My partner was there too. She was seven."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Three people died that day. One of them was her twin sister."

"I'm sorry for her loss, but I still don't see where I come into the picture."

"Just let me finish the story." I said, annoyed. "She came away from that event...damaged. I found out the night before last and I pushed her on it. Maybe a bit too far. Right now she's very emotionally fragile."

"And you want me to talk to her. Why?"

"Because you're the one who killed the Grimm that took her sister." I stated. "You can give her something I can't." I took a moment to gather myself. "I would much rather it had been someone else from RWBY, you and I are too similar for us to ever get along and I'm still mad at you for lying to me, but you're the only one who can help me on this."

"This is important to you?"

"Yes. She's my responsibility. She's a member of my team. She's my partner. She's my friend." I glared at Blake. "And you owe me for lying to me for the last three years."

"I don't owe you anything for saving your life."

"Does it look like I care right now?" I demanded. "I need your help, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to secure it."

"You've changed since starting at Beacon. You would never have gone this far for someone else before."

"No, I've just found people I care about. And I defend what I care about."

"I'll do it." She looked me in the eyes. "But not for you. For the memory of the girl who died that day."

"I don't care why you do it." I said. "I just care that you do it."

"Where is she?"

"In the dorm. Follow me." I lead her to the room, knocking softly before using my scroll to open it. Rebecca and Lily glanced up.

"Hey Kevin." Rebecca said.

"Hey there Rebecca. I brought someone you might want to talk to. Lily, you need to come get some dinner." I gestured to Blake and she stepped in through the door. "Let's leave Rebecca and her guest alone for a little."

"Oh, sure. Dinner sou-" She cut off as she noticed Blake. I grabbed her and hustled her out the door, leaving my partner and the Faunus alone.

"That was Blake Belladonna!" Lily said, pointing an accusing finger at the now closed door.

"Yeah. I know."

"Does that mean-?"

"Yes."

"Then she's-?"

"Yes."

"Can I-?"

"Yes, but only if you refrain from making noise right now."

Lily looked at me with a betrayed look.

"We are not disturbing Rebecca right now, got it?"

She just glared at me.

"Thank you. Now, if you want to meet Weiss you're going to have to wait a bit. They're meeting with Ozpin right now, but they'll be out soon." I turned and began walking towards Beacon's main building. "And please, try to keep the volume to a minimum." I was starting to regret not picking up ear plugs when I visited the store earlier. Lily followed behind, still glaring at me.

**A/N: And that's it for this chapter. David dances too. Seven foot four, king of the dance floor. Unnecessary rhyming for the win!**

**To the anonymous guest who takes things a bit too literally, David and Yang may interact some, although there's really not much in terms of common ground for them. They're both the most stable members of their respective teams, but they go about that in very different ways. As for Lily's reaction... well, it should be amusing if nothing else.**

**To Cyborg, you've read my work before. You should know I like taking things from canon and weaving them into the narrative. That's half the fun of writing my pseudo-next-generation stories. When you write something that takes place in the future, you have to consider the implications of past events, otherwise what's the point?**


	18. Shattered: Part Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Alright, I figured we'd go get some food and meet Team RWBY in the cafeteria." I said. "That sound good?"

"I guess so." Lily said. "Where are they now?"

"Meeting with Ozpin last I heard. I don't know if they're done yet. After that, David's supposed to show them to their room. Then they'll probably come down for some food."

"Why does David get to do it?" Lily demanded.

"One, he knows where the room is. Two, he'll actually get the job done instead of talking."

"Hey!" Lily interjected.

"Three, Ozpin said so." I paused for a moment before deciding to mess with her a bit. "At my recommendation, of course."

"What?" Lily practically shrieked. "How could you do that to me?"

"Easily." I said. "It's rather funny seeing you worked up like this."

"You-!" She was practically speechless with righteous anger.

"Relax, I didn't actually have anything to do with it. It was just luck of the draw."

She glared at me. I will admit, I fully deserved it. I will also admit that it was hilarious, and that I made no effort to conceal this fact. I don't think laughing at her made her any happier though.

"You will rue this day, Kevin Malder." She said, her voice icy.

"If I personally introduce you to Weiss, will you agree to spare me?"

"...I will consider it."

"Good enough for me." I said as I turned the corner. "Now on to the cafeter-" I suddenly noticed who was just walking past me. "Or not." I concluded. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and David stopped and looked at me.

Lily came around the corner. I braced myself.

What happened next was both more than I was expecting, and one of the most horrifying experiences of my life. I refer to it as the Time of the Almighty Squees.

I was expecting Lily's reaction to seeing Weiss. She froze, placed her hands over her mouth, and squealed with utter glee. The surprise was when Ruby did the exact same thing upon seeing Lily.

"Ohmygoshit'sWeissSchneetherealWeissSchneeohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

"OhmygoshshelooksjustlikeyoudoWeiss! Ohshes'ssocute!"

"Gah!" Weiss yelled in complaint. "What is wrong with you people?"

"Weiss, Ruby, Yang, meet Lily Andell, David's partner and quite possibly Weiss's biggest fan." I said, rubbing my suddenly sore ears. There was a ringing sound that seemed to be bouncing around in my head. Hopefully it wasn't permanent. "Lily, as you no doubt know, this is Weiss Schnee. That's Ruby Rose, and the blonde is Yang Xiao Long." I glanced over. "You okay there David?" His eyes had crossed and he had his hands clamped over his ears.

"Yeah. Fine. Just don't let them do that again."

"Well, that was a thing." Yang said while Ruby and Lily continued babbling in the background while Weiss tried to keep them both at arm's length.

"Yes. Yes it was." I said. "Well, it was going to happen eventually, better to get it out of the way and be done with it."

"Your girl is a Weiss fan." Yang said, her voice indicating a certain degree of incomprehension. "Why?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know. And she's not _my_ girl. Maybe David's, but not mine." I said.

"So you actually have a girl?"

"Yang, how many times have I told you I don't need your help with my love life?"

"Every time we meet, but c'mon! You don't even _have_ a love life!"

"No, and that's the way I like it." I said. "I'm not going to date someone from a world I want to leave."

"But you're missing all the fun!"

"Yang, I don't do no-commitment relationships. I don't do no-commitment anything. You should know that."

"Fine, but one day when you do get a girlfriend-"

"You will mock me incessantly, I know." I said, cutting Yang off.

"Good, we understand each other."

David looked at me, his eyes beginning to uncross. "I'm going to go to bed." He said.

"Uh, Blake's in there, talking to Rebecca, you might want to wait." I said.

"Why is Blake talking to her?"

"Long story, I'll tell you later." I looked over at the escalating chaos where the peppermint trio were standing. "We should probably do something about that." I said. "Yang, if you could grab Ruby?"

"No problem." Yang advanced, grinning.

"Then I'll restrain Lily." I said, following behind her. After a few minutes of prying and tugging we finally managed to separate the three.

"Leggo!" Lily exclaimed.

"No. You're embarrassing yourself. Not to mention me. And David too. And you're annoying Weiss. So chill, Ice Princesslet."

"Where did you find this- this- this-" Weiss spluttered.

"Lunatic?" I offered.

"Yes!"

"Long story involving a King Taijitu, a few dozen Beowolves, and an Arachnos."

"Oh but Weiss, she's so cute!" Ruby said, struggling to escape from Yang's grip. "She looks like a little version of you! Oh she's so adorable!"

If I'd had a free hand I would have covered my eyes. As it was, I had to satisfy myself with a sigh. "If I let you go, do you promise to not cause any more trouble?" I asked.

Lily gave me a sulky glare, but she nodded.

"That means you aren't allowed to ask for her autograph either, got it?"

She glared even more viciously, but nodded.

"Okay then." I carefully released my hold. Lily kept glaring at me, but I shrugged it off. "Now, if everyone's calmed down a bit, I for one would like to eat some dinner." I started in the direction of the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>Dinner was an interesting affair. Weiss ate her food in icy silence, pointedly ignoring us in an attempt to retain her dignity. Lily fought a desperate battle against her instincts and was on her best behavior, although I suspect it was more of an attempt to avoid annoying Weiss, rather than because of her promise to behave. Ruby meanwhile was under no such restrictions and spent most of the meal commenting on how cute Lily was. Yang, David, and I engaged in quiet conversation. Well, Yang's version of quiet conversation at least. I did find out that Ozpin had called for Team RWBY to help annihilate the Grimm army in Forever Fall and that another elite hunter team would be arriving tomorrow to help too. Apparently this was Team JNPR, whom I had heard of, but never actually met. Apparently they had been classmates with Team RWBY.<p>

I finished my dinner just as Blake walked in. She didn't say anything, but the look she gave me told me everything I needed to know.

"I think I'm going to head back to the dorm." I announced. "I didn't sleep last night so I'd like to get some extra rest tonight. See you in the morning." With that I rose and headed to the dorm.

* * *

><p>I opened the door to find Rebecca standing over by the window, staring out at the night sky.<p>

"Hey there." I said.

She didn't even turn to respond. "Hey." Her voice was tired, heavy with sadness.

"You doing alright?"

"No."

I walked over to stand beside her. "Anything I can do for you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You've already done enough."

"You're my partner. I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I know. Thank you."

"Do you want me to get you something? Maybe some food?"

"No, I'm fine. I ate lunch pretty late and I'm not hungry."

I gently put my hand on her shoulder. "If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know."

"I will."

"Well then, I guess I should go to bed. No sense staying up two nights in a row." I started towards David's and my side of the room.

"Wait...I wanted to ask you something."

I stopped. "What?"

"Do you- Do you think our lives have meaning?"

"In what sense?" I asked.

"Does it matter whether we live or die?"

"On the cosmic scale, not really. If we die the stars will continue to burn, the planets will continue to move, and to a great extent, the world will move on." She looked at me with a sense of wounded confusion. "But we don't exist on the cosmic scale, do we? We exist on the scale of people. And on that scale, everything matters. Our lives have meaning because we believe they have meaning. They have meaning because we give them meaning. And in the end, I think that's more important than any cosmic meaning could ever be."

Rebecca looked at me with an emotion I couldn't recognize. "Did her life have meaning?"

"If you believe it did, then it did. I think it did. Without her I'd never have met you. Even a short life has a lasting impact." I walked over and gently put my arms around her. "As long as you remember her, her life has meaning."

I felt a wet spot on my shoulder as silent tears trickled down her face. "Thank you, Kevin."

"No problem." I said, gently removing my arms. "Now, let's get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

**A/N: Well, that's another chapter down, some unknown number left to go. A rather large unknown number, given that I already have plans for MRLD's second year at Beacon and they're currently less than two months in. **

**To Freezingreality (great screen name by the way), thank you. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and I'm glad you're enjoying reading it.**

**That's all for now. See you all next chapter.**


	19. A Day on the Town: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**Well, I think it's time for a short break from the drama. It will return soon, but for now, it's MRLD's day on the town. Quick thank you to everyone who's read this story so far. You guys broke two thousand views in under a month. I don't even know what to say to that. So instead I'm uploading a chapter early.**

Sometimes even three alarm clocks isn't enough to wake me up. Particularly if I didn't get any sleep the night before. So for Sunday, I only woke up when my team mates decided that I'd spent far too much time in bed. So how did they wake me? Well obviously, being sensible individuals, sound of both mind and body, they opted for the most reasonable solution. So they had David pick the bed up. With me in it. That woke me up fast.

"Ah! What the- Put me, no put my BED down! Gently!" David did exactly that and I got up. "Was that really the only way you could wake me up?" I glared at the maniacally laughing Lily and the quietly giggling Rebecca, then at the completely straight-faced David.

"Probably not," David admitted.

"Well don't do it again! Geez, and here I thought you guys were at least half sane."

My only answer was laughter.

"Just leave me alone while I get dressed," I growled.

* * *

><p>After breakfast we regrouped back at the dorm.<p>

"Alright guys, today we're going into Vale for some team bonding," I announced. "Let's have fun, not blow up too much of the city, and not get arrested. Sound good?"

"Are we bringing weapons? There's been reports of increased criminal activity recently," Lily asked. I considered for a moment.

"Yes, but try to be inconspicuous about it."

"And how are you going to do that with both arms covered in armor?" David asked.

"Glad you asked," I said. I pulled out something I'd made when I built Talon. It was really nothing more than a flat plate that strapped to my back, but it had little hooks where Talon and Molnair could be carried in their storage forms. "My new backpack should do the trick. It's your axe I'm worried about. How exactly are we going to avoid attention with you carrying that thing around?"

"How exactly were we going to avoid attention with David in the first place?" Lily asked. "He doesn't exactly blend in."

"True, but let's try to keep it to a minimum."

"Don't worry, Seldor folds up, I just don't really like doing it."

"Sounds good," I said. "Lily, you can probably just carry Echino openly, and Rebecca should be fine as well. Let's get going."

* * *

><p>"So, do we actually have a plan?" Lily asked when we got off the air bus.<p>

"Uh, not really?" I offered. "I was thinking we'd just walk around until we found something fun."

"For a leader, you're terrible at planning."

"My style of leadership revolves around split-second decisions and improvisation. After all, no plan survives first contact with the enemy."

"Interesting phrase," Kevin said. "I don't think I've heard that one before."

"It's common in the military back in my world," I said. "Now, let's find something to do."

"That looks fun," Rebecca said, her soft voice suddenly cutting into the conversation, ending any debate. We looked in the direction she was pointing.

"Laser tag? You guys have laser tag in this world? Awesome!" I said. "This should be all sorts of fun!"

We trooped into the building. It turned out to be your typical arcade with some larger games like laser tag attached. We made a beeline for the counter.

"Four for the laser tag," I said to the girl behind the counter.

"That will be thirty six lien," she said.

Crap. That was going to hurt. Oh well, nothing for it. I pulled out the money and paid. Maybe someone else could pay for lunch. I hoped. The good news was that we got three games for that price. Leaving our weapons in some lockers, we made our way over to the neon sign and filed in along with some other guests.

After a quick, boring, and barely useful tutorial, we were divided into two teams. By luck of the draw, MRLD ended up on one side, along with four more people. I gave them each a quick look, deciding that maybe two of them would be any good. The other team also had about six competent-looking players out of nine, so this might actually be a fair game. We geared up, then trooped in.

If you've never played laser tag, it is officially one of the coolest things you can do on Earth. The specifics vary hugely from location to location, but basically, you have a laser gun and you're supposed to shoot the target the other team's players are wearing for points while not getting shot yourself. Usually there are other targets called "bases" that you can shoot for even more points, but not always.

However, there's a huge difference between Earth laser tag and Remnant laser tag. Earth laser tag is made for Earth humans, it's almost always on a flat field, albeit with obstacles and cover, and it's strictly limited by what a typical person can actually do. Remnant laser tag, at least the place we visited, was designed for people with unlocked Auras, although Semblances weren't allowed. Playing laser tag in three dimensions when you can jump like a cat is unbelievably fun. I think I started laughing midway through the first game, I was simply having too much fun. Unfortunately, the first game was rather one-sided. It's really not fair pitting four hunters-in-training against mere mortals. Even without our Semblances, we completely annihilated them. We stepped out for our score cards. I was the second highest scoring player on the team, right after Lily, whose precision had to be seen to be believed. Rebecca came in third, mostly because she couldn't be hit. She was just too agile. David came in fourth, but no one else was even close.

"So, that wasn't exactly fair," I said to the collected crowd as we waited for the game to reset. "How about we change up the teams?" No one objected. David and Lily switched places with two members of the opposite team as we walked back into the arena. This time the game was a lot more fair. Maybe a bit too fair. The final score was almost a tie, although Lily and David's team just barely squeaked out a victory. We returned to the waiting area.

"How about the four of us versus everyone else?" I suggested. Even when we were split up, we still dominated the battlefield, making our less athletic teammates more or less meaningless. This way at least they would get to see which of them was the best. No one objected, so we went back in. Then came the announcement. Since the first two rounds were a tie (oops), the third round would serve as a tie breaker with special rules. Specifically, non-destructive Semblances were now legal. "You guys okay if we take advantage of the new rules?" I asked. After some back and forth, the other team agreed to let us use our Semblances.

I grinned. This should be fun. Not exactly fair or sporting, but certainly fun. Between my teleportation, David's senses, and Rebecca's newly unified powers this was going to be like pushing baby ducks into a shark infested pond. Sure, they probably had some Semblances of their own, but come on, we're the professionals. No amateur could possibly beat us.

The third game was even more one-sided than the first. Lily and David played defense. David's enhanced senses made sure no one got past, and Lily's pinpoint accuracy made sure no one escaped. Rebecca and I played offense. My Semblance let me appear behind their lines to cause chaos, but Rebecca was a complete monster. The real Rebecca turned invisible while half a dozen illusions of her drew the enemy's fire. Their Semblances were rather mundane for the most part, not the sort of thing you can use for combat, although the one who could refract light was fun. He could bend his shots so they went around walls, split them to strike several targets at once, or, my personal favorite, basically set off a laser grenade by refracting the beam so it went in every direction at once. He was the only one who ever hit Rebecca, and even he only managed it twice.

In the end though, there was no contest. MRLD claimed the crown. We picked up our gear and left the building, our heads held high.

"Well, that was fun," I said. I pulled out my scroll and checked the time. "It's about time for lunch," I said. "Someone else is paying though. I'm pretty much out."

"I'll cover it." Lily said. She wasn't exactly an heiress, but she was a bit more financially secure than the rest of the team. Particularly me, given that I never have much money. Maybe I could find some part time work somewhere? A question for another day. Anyways, we wandered around for a while before finally locating a decent restaurant. Something that never made much sense about Remnant is that, despite the limited number of cultures present in the world, along with the limited space for crops, the food here is somehow just as diverse as it is back on Earth. We finally settled on a restaurant that served what I would have called standard American fare, although they didn't call it that here. After all, America didn't exist. Either way, it was tasty and semi-familiar.

After lunch we decided to go for a walk, aiming roughly in the direction of the park. As we walked we passed by an old shop with a closed sign out front. Apparently the owner was out for lunch. "Dust till Dawn, huh?" I noted. "I think Ruby mentioned this place. Something about a robbery or something?"

"Maybe you can ask her when we get back," Rebecca said. She was starting to warm back up to us again, coming out of her wounded shell a bit, which in my opinion meant today was already a complete success.

"Sounds good," I replied. "Ruby usually has a fun story to tell."

"Kevin, there's something wrong," David said.

I stiffened, switching into high alert. "What's up?"

"It might be nothing, but-" He cut off as a group of Faunus in Grimm masks emerged from an alley and started towards the Dust shop.

"White Fang," I said. We were already past the shop, but not too far away to stop them. "Well, I guess our day just got a bit more exciting. Who wants to kick some White Fang tail?" My team grinned, looking more like a wolf pack than the White Fang could ever hope to. I reached up and pulled Molnair and Talon up over my head, then triggered the mechanisms that unfolded them. They latched onto my arms, the familiar armor settling into place. I hate doing it this way because there's no time to double check the attachments, but when time is of the essence, I can armor up in a matter of seconds. I started towards the masked Faunus. "Come on MRLD, let's have some fun."

We strode towards the White Fang squad. Maybe a dozen thugs. None of them paid us any attention as they tried to pry open the locked doors of the shop. "So! This is what's become of the great White Fang!" I announced in my loudest voice. "Freedom fighters turned petty crooks. Disgraceful." They turned and stared at me, unsure what to make of me.

"I think they're bitter about being replaced," Lily said, picking up on what I was doing. "It must be humiliating to have even the people you fought for turn against you."

"Good point Lily," I said. "But why turn to theft? Surely that's not going to help their image."

"Do they even care about their image anymore?" David rumbled.

"I don't know, why don't we ask them?" I turned to the White Fang. "How 'bout it boys, does it even matter what other people think of you anymore?" The growled, pulling weapons.

"I don't think they liked that," Rebecca said.

"No, I don't think they did. Pity," I said. "Alright MRLD, let's take them out, but try not to make a mess." We charged.

I met the first one, catching his over sized knife on Molnair's armor. A quick punch with my left hand broke his mask, throwing him to the ground. I may not look it, but I'm a lot stronger than even most hunters my size. I have to be to use Molnair and Talon. I'm not strong enough to bring down Grimm with my bare hands, but against a human or Faunus, I'm more than strong enough. The crook hit the ground and stayed there, groaning.

David, on the other hand, probably could take out Grimm with his bare hands, he just prefers his axe. Today, he decided to go bowling. He grabbed one of the enemies and hurled him at two of his comrades. All three went down in heap and stayed there. Rebecca jumped into the gap he created, spinning on her heel to bring a perfectly executed kick into the face of another Faunus. She finished the move and used the momentum to launch herself into a second kick, striking another opponent in the chest. She bounced back to deliver a double palm strike to a third enemy before rebounding yet again to land in three point stance. All three of the lowlifes she hit went down. Behind her, a pair of thugs found themselves surrounded by a beautiful wall made of ice as Lily demonstrated her abilities.

We regrouped. Four of us facing the last three mask-wearing creeps. "Give it up," I advised. "You've already lost."

He grinned at me. "No, you've just lost!" he spat.

Suddenly there was a massive thud behind us. We turned. A huge walking tank had landed behind us.

"That's an Atlesian Paladin!" Lily yelled. She and David drew their weapons as Rebecca activated her arm-dart-gun things.

"It's a mech," I said. "That is so not fair. Why do they get mechs? Why don't we get mechs? Does Beacon have a mech? Oh I hope it does. Oh this is just awesome!" Everyone stared at me like I was insane, including the mech. Well it was probably the guy in the mech, but it looked like the mech was staring at me. "You called this an Atlesian Paladin?"

"Yeah, they're an older design, a bit out of date, but still effective," Lily said, bemused. "They were replaced by the Templar about four years ago."

"Cool." I walked towards the mech. "I wonder how it works? Probably Dust powered, maybe hydraulics for actual motion?" I kept getting closer as everyone stared at me. I was clearly not reacting the way they expected. "Hmm, armament...guns, missiles...I see a fist contained in the arm...presumably the feet can be used for combat too..." I was now within arms length of the machine. "Awkward looking leg design, but no doubt faster than it looks...ooh, laser target finders!...omnidirectional awareness...this is the coolest thing I've seen all year!" I put my hands on the leg of the mech. I kept talking, but also powered up my Semblance, carefully extending and shaping the teleportation field. "Hmm, Dust reinforced titanium alloy armor, very nice, very nice...ooh, modular design!...hmm, the joints are vulnerable...not sure this thing can stand up to an assault from more powerful Semblances, but still impressive," I looked up at the cockpit. "I really, really like your machine here," I said. "In fact, I like it so much, I think I want one. Can I have this one?" With that I performed the finishing touches on my teleportation.

The Paladin and I disappeared, arriving on Beacon's landing pad. Without the mech's pilot. I had managed to steal the mech out from under him. While he was riding in it. Sometimes even I have trouble believing how awesome I am.

I teleported back into the fight, only to see the White Fang fleeing. Rebecca quickly brought them down and we gathered them up to turn over to the police.

"So, how did you manage that one?" David asked, casually knocking out the two White Fang Lily had imprisoned.

"Confusion and sheer awe inspiring skill," I said. "I can't believe they let me pull that off though."

"Well you were busy nerding out in the middle of a fight!" Lily said.

"Geeking out, not nerding out. There's a difference."

"Whatever! How did you even do that?" Lily demanded as she dragged another semi-conscious White fang member onto the pile.

"I teleported the machine but left the pilot behind. What's so complicated about this?"

"That's rather impressive, given that he was inside the machine," Rebecca commented, hauling her catches back to us.

"Not really. My Semblance likes to take whole objects. I can cut something in half by teleporting, but the backlash is...unpleasant. When I extend the field, it gives me a sense of what objects it's encountering. The hard part was managing to surround him with the field without including him in it, but even that was relatively simple."

David whistled. "Nice."

"Why is it that everyone can whistle but me?" I complained. "Why?"

"You can't whistle?" Rebecca asked.

"No! I've tried over and over again, but I can't do it."

"But it's so simple!"

"Maybe for you guys, but I can't do it!"

"That's...that's hilarious!" Lily said. "You can teleport an Atlesian Paladin without its pilot, but you can't whistle?"

"Yeah, laugh it up," I said, pulling out my scroll to contact the police. The others began to tie up the White Fang using various scraps of rope we found on them. "Hello, police? No, not exactly. I'm calling to report an attempted robbery. Dust till Dawn. What do you mean _again_?"

I glanced into a window and saw a sign that read "Number of days since last robbery: 9". It also said this was a new record.

"How does he stay in business if he gets hit that often?" I marveled. "Well, we have thirteen would-be thieves here, tied up and waiting for you. Yeah, we'll wait."

A few minutes later the police arrived with a pair of vans designed for prisoners. They loaded the White Fang into the vans, telling us something about checking for criminal records and that we were free to go. I was somewhat surprised, but I guess Vale police aren't as strict about this sort of thing as the police are on Earth. Then again, we were hunters-in-training. I would have to check the laws on that, but I remember it saying something about Hunstmen and Huntresses having a limited degree of police authority. Maybe Lily would know.

In any case, it was time to head back. We boarded our flight back to Beacon, arriving in plenty of time for dinner.

Goodwitch was waiting for us. She didn't look happy. I gulped. Maybe the landing pad wasn't the best place for me to leave my new toy. Oops.

**A/N: Well, that happened. Kevin could have dismantled the Paladin rather easily using his Semblance to remove all the structural elements from the machine, but he wanted a mech. So he took the whole thing. **

**To the rather inquisitive anonymous guest (this is rapidly becoming a running gag), Blake's conversation with Rebecca will be covered later, possibly next chapter.**

**To Cyborg, have you ever ended up between two rabid squeeing fangirls? It's _horrifying_. The Time of the Almighty Squees was loosely based on something that actually happened to _me_. In particular, that ringing sound Kevin was complaining about actually happened. Not fun. Fangirling is good way to annoy someone. At best they'll just ignore you. Hopefully Lily will grow out of it in time. As for Kevin's view on the world, well that's complicated. He's an optimist at heart, but he's been dragged back and forth across broken glass so many times that he's become cynical, snide, and bitter. At the end of the day though, he still believes that the world is what you make it, which is really what allows him to keep moving and keep trying to get home.**


	20. A Day on the Town: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I stepped off the air bus. Professor Goodwitch was glaring at me, her riding crop in hand. "Uh, you guys go on ahead," I said to the rest of my team. "I'll be along at some point." They continued on towards Beacon as I slowly made my way towards the glaring Huntress.

"Hello Professor," I said tentatively.

"Professor Ozpin would like to speak with you," she said in a carefully controlled tone before turning and walking towards the school.

"Okay." I meekly followed her.

* * *

><p>"Kevin, would you kindly explain what an Atlesian Paladin is doing in front of my school?" Ozpin asked as he sipped his coffee.<p>

"Um, I, ah, found it today while I was out in Vale."

"You found a Paladin in the city?"

"Uh, the White Fang was involved if that makes things clearer," I said.

"I can see that. Your new acquisition has some rather distinctive markings." Oh. I forgot about the paint job the White Fang gave that thing.

"Um, yeah. I, uh, liberated it from them."

"Indeed. You have presented me with a quandary," He looked at me over his glasses. "Under normal circumstances I would contact the Atlas military so that they could retrieve their device."

"But?" I asked.

"After a recent series of incidents, Atlas is undergoing a military disarmament in an effort to reduce tensions. It is doubtful they would have any interest in an outdated weapon."

"So what are you going to do with it?"

"I have not decided yet."

"Um, if it's not too much of a problem, could I keep it?" I asked, feeling momentarily bold.

"And what would you use such a device for?"

"Well I would like to drive it, if only just one time. I don't want to use it to fight, I just want to go for a quick trip around the block."

"And once you've made your 'quick trip around the block', what will you do with it then?"

"Most likely take it apart. I want to know how it works."

"Very well. You may store it in one of the school's hangers." Wait, what? He was actually letting me keep the mech? Best. Teacher. Ever!

"Thank you Professor!" I said. "I promise I won't cause any trouble with it!"

"I would however appreciate it if you would remove it from the landing pad."

"Right away Professor!" I said. "And thank you!" I dashed out of the room. I would have to find an empty hanger, but that shouldn't be too big an issue. I decided running wasn't fast enough and used my Semblance to teleport to the landing pad. Opening up the machine, I climbed in. Now to find an empty hanger.

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later I met up with my team at the dorm, my new acquisition safely stored away in an old and somewhat dusty hanger. I would have to clean it out before I started work on the mech, but otherwise it was perfect.<p>

"How did it go?" Rebecca asked.

"Pretty good actually," I said. "I wasn't even really in trouble and Ozpin even let me keep the Paladin!"

"He let you keep it?" Lily demanded in utter disbelief.

"Yeah, I was surprised too, but he let me keep it and even let me store it in one of Beacon's old tilt jet hangers."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. I am now the proud new owner of a slightly used Atlesian Paladin. Now I just need a name for it."

"What?" David asked.

"A name! It's a mech! It needs a name!"

"Why?" Rachel asked.

"Tradition! In anime the hero's mech always has a name!"

"Anime?" She asked.

"Right, I'll have to explain that to you guys later. Point is, it needs a name. A Paladin that belongs to Team MRLD. How about the _Green Knight_? Simple, easy, and a reference no one in this world will get."

"Reference?" David asked.

"Remind me to cover Arthurian legend with you guys at some point. It's some really weird stuff."

"You're making no sense." Lily said.

"Sorry, Earth stuff," I said. "It's not that important right now. What is important is that they're about to start serving dinner, so let's head down." I started out the door, my team trailing behind me.

* * *

><p>Just before we reached the cafeteria, Blake came up and tapped me on the shoulder. I was confused as she usually prefers to avoid me, but it was clear she wanted to talk to me.<p>

"You guys go on ahead," I said. "I may be a while."

"You say that a lot," Lily said.

"I know. Now go and get your dinner." I said with a shooing motion. I turned to Blake. "What's up?"

She didn't answer, instead opting to drag me off into a nearby classroom.

"What's your problem?" I asked as she turned to look at me. Then she slapped me.

"OW!" I shouted. "What was that for?"

"For what you did to that girl."

"I was trying to help her!"

"I know. That's why I only hit you once."

I rubbed my stinging face. "How did your talk with her go?"

"Once she stopped yelling at me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "If you'd like I can talk to her about that." As much as I dislike Blake, I still respect her and having my partner yelling at her was not something I was particularly in favor of.

"If you do that I will end your life." Blake glared at me. "After what happened to her, I'd have been more concerned if she hadn't shouted."

"Um, just out of curiosity, what was she yelling at you about?"

"Exactly what you'd think. She wanted to know why I didn't kill the Grimm before it killed her sister."

"And?"

"And I told her I'm not perfect. I can't save everyone."

"What happened next?"

"She started talking about how she'd tried to live as her sister. And her other identity."

"I figured you would be able to help with that, at least a little."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you were right to ask for my help on this."

"Good. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go eat dinner. Or are you going to hit me again?"

"Go to your team," she said, turning away from me. I turned and left, resuming my trip to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>I walked in to find my team sitting at one table while Team RWBY, minus Blake of course, was at another table conversing with a team I'd never seen before. I grabbed a tray, then sat down next to Rebecca.<p>

"Who's the new team?" I asked, pointing in their direction.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Lily said. She seemed somewhat annoyed to be so far away from Weiss. "Team RWBY seems to know them pretty well, but that's about it."

"Huh. Oh, wait, maybe this is that other team Yang was talking about," I said to David. "Team JNPR."

"That might be it," David replied.

"That reminds me, Rebecca, you still need to meet the rest of RWBY." I got up. "We can do that now. I'm sure Ruby in particular is going to want to meet you."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked nervously.

"I'm sure. Come on." We started over.

As we approached, Ruby looked up. "Kevin! How are you?"

"Fine, I just wanted to introduce you to my partner and the last member of my team. This is Rebecca Charlotte."

"Hi." She waved shyly.

"So this is your girl," Yang said.

I covered my face with my hands. "Yang, stop. Please."

"What?"

"I believe you are embarrassing him," said a woman with hair to match Rebecca's deep red locks.

"Pyrrha, Yang embarrasses everybody," the blonde man beside her said. There was something about him that unnerved me. It took a moment for me to figure out exactly what it was, but when I did, my jaw almost dropped. His Aura was visible. Aura's are usually impossible to see with the naked eye, unless they're being activated or the owner of the Aura is deliberately showing off. This guy was eating dinner. And I could see the faint white glow of his Aura. That was rather alarming.

"You used to embarrass us, Jaune," said the man dressed in green. His dark hair had an odd bright pink streak right in front, but then, Remnant hair colors are weird.

"I'm pretty sure Nora has embarrassment covered for you, Ren," Jaune said, pointing a fork at the woman with the orange hair who was currently wolfing down pancakes for dinner. I pushed back a familiar twinge of homesickness. Her hair reminded me of my brother. "I still don't know why you married her."

"And I still don't know why Pyrrha married you, Jaune," Weiss said.

"Are you still mad at me for the Snow Angel comment?"

"Yes."

"That was ten years ago!"

"And you still haven't apologized for it!"

"You let that Neptune guy get away with it, why should I have to apologize?"

"I think it's time to leave," I whispered to Rebecca. In a louder voice, "Well, we need to get back to our team, but maybe we'll see each other later. Bye!" We beat a hasty retreat back to our own table.

"That was..." Rebecca began.

"Not what you were expecting?" I asked. "Elite hunter teams are just people. People who are really good at killing Grimm, but still just people. Although, I imagine the fact that I spent the first two months I was in this world living with Ruby and Weiss helped make that clear for me. I didn't even find out just how famous they were until later. However, for now we should probably finish dinner and go to bed. I for one have had enough excitement for one day."

**A/N: And a few more ships have appeared on the horizon! Or maybe submarines surfaced? No wait, submarines are boats, not ships. (Seriously, look it up.) Anyways, yeah. Nora and Ren are just barely shy of being canon and Jaune and Pyrrha... You know, that ship is really weird for me. I like the ship. I like it a lot. But I have mixed feelings regarding Pyrrha and I find Jaune to be rather annoying. With Pyrrha part of me can't get over the fact that she's a Mary-Sue. A brilliantly written and highly entertaining Mary-Sue, but a Mary-Sue nonetheless. As for Jaune, I know why he's there, and I know why he's so popular: He's the intended audience surrogate character. Except I'm weird and find Ruby to actually be far closer to me than Jaune. (The similarities between my life and Ruby's can get downright eerie at times.) So instead of being someone I can sympathize with, Jaune just annoys me. The good news is, I don't have to use canon Jaune! This Jaune is twenty seven, mature, powerful, and someone I actually feel like writing.**

**Coming soon, the Red Berry Grimm Massacre, as two elite hunter teams demonstrate exactly what that title means. See you all next chapter.**


	21. The Red Berry Grimm Massacre

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"I can't believe we get to watch RWBY and JNPR fight the Grimm army!" Lily exclaimed, waving her arms around.

"Calm down Lily," I said. "You're going to fall out of the jet."

With both RWBY and JNPR in residence, Ozpin decided that the entire school would benefit from a demonstration. So instead of our usual Monday classes, we were being dragged out to Forever Fall to watch RWBY and JNPR exterminate the Grimm we'd run into on our trip. Well, that wasn't quite true. The first and second year students were to watch. The third and fourth year students would serve as flanking elements and clean-up.

The huge mass of Grimm had done nothing but grow in the week since we'd encountered it, bringing its numbers into the range of a thousand. Older, more powerful Grimm had also joined up. No one knew exactly what the Grimm were doing gathering in such huge numbers, but it was moving past alarming and into the range of panic inducing. If they kept gathering at this rate, they would soon reach the point of being able to overwhelm the defenses surrounding Vale.

We landed outside the forest where there would be more room to fight. RWBY and JNPR formed up in front while the students fanned out to cover the sides. My team was standing near the back. Unless something went wrong, our only purpose here was to serve as observers. Beyond that, we were an emergency reserve.

"I can't see anything!" Lily complained. "Why is everyone taller than me?"

"Because you're five foot nothing," I said. I turned to Rebecca. "How are you holding up?" The Grimm had yet to appear, but even on the tilt jet, she'd been nervous.

"Fine," she said, giving me a weak smile. "I'll be fine."

"Good. You're going to beat this," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Then it'll be the Grimm that are afraid of you."

She giggled lightly. "I don't think the Grimm are afraid of anyone but Dawn."

"Right. I forgot the Grimm are idiots." I smiled back. If she could joke about the Grimm then there might be a good chance she could actually overcome her fear. I'd have to talk to Professor Coco about this. Maybe she'd have a spare Boarbatusk or two we could use for this.

"I still can't see!" Lily shouted again.

"'Shall I describe it to you, or would you like me to find you a box?'" I quoted in my best Legolas impression.

"I want to see! And what was with that voice?"

"It's a quote from a movie," I said, glancing around. "I don't think there's a box anywhere around here though."

"It's not fair," Lily grumbled. "Why am I so short?"

I looked at David and shrugged. He shrugged back. I turned back to Lily. "I suppose you could try riding on David's shoulders."

"I'm not a child!" Lily snapped.

"Leaving aside the fact that you're kind of acting like one, you're five foot nothing and maybe ninety pounds dripping wet. I think David can handle that, right David?"

"Sure. I don't have a problem with this."

"See? Just ride on David. You'll be the tallest person in the school for a change."

Lily grumbled something about being too old for this, then turned to our local behemoth. "Alright, let's do this."

A minute later and our snow angel had taken flight, riding in style behind a massive blue afro.

"How you doing up there?" I asked.

"Fine!" Lily said. "I'm just not used to being this high up."

"Oh, does the Ice Princesslet not like heights?"

"Kevin, I will kill you, I swear I will."

"No you won't," I said, chuckling. "We both know you're too afraid of the paperwork that would involve."

"Okay, maybe I'll just maim you."

"Hmm, okay, that I might believe."

We turned back to the front, just in time to see Ruby take Crescent Rose and fire a bullet into the woods. The sharp crack of the sniper rifle rolled through the crisp autumn air. No one moved, no one spoke. Several long seconds passed, then the howling began. The voices of dozens, hundreds of Grimm echoed from the woods. I shivered. One Grimm howling is unnerving. A hundred doing so... It sent chills down my spine. Rebecca was trembling beside me, but she had a determined expression on her face.

The first Grimm began to emerge. This was the second strange thing. Rather than the usual rush tactics employed by the monsters, they were instead waiting for the entirety of their force to emerge before advancing. Something was very, very wrong about this situation. Grimm don't do this sort of thing. They're mostly just mindless beasts with no sense of strategy whatsoever. Ancient Grimm might be smart enough to recognize some basic tactics, but these were young Beowolves, a species infamous for reckless aggression.

The main army finally made it out of the trees. It was like some sort of nightmare zoo. Beowolves, Boarbatusks, King Taijitu, Ursai, Arachnoi, Death Stalkers, and more were present. Nevermores circled above us, promising a violent death from above. For a moment, I panicked. How could fragile humans stand against such horrors.

"Well, a bit more than we were expecting." Jaune's voice snapped my back to reality. He was calm, steady, almost unconcerned. He turned to Ruby. "We'll take the left. You take the right. Pyrra and Weiss can cover the air." Ruby nodded. Jaune drew his sword, the sheath transforming into a shield. As he stepped forward his Aura went from a faint glow to a blazing beacon of light. He brought his sword down in a powerful blow that struck the ground. A crack raced forward from the striking point straight through the middle of the Grimm army, splitting it in half as the crack turned into a gaping chasm.

My jaw dropped. "I don't even think that was his Semblance..." I whispered. He'd done that with just his Aura. How was anyone that powerful? The two teams split, each covering their assigned area. I focused on Team RWBY first.

Ruby seemed to vanish, a trail of rose petals the only indication of her existence as she dashed at the Grimm. The rose petals began to form a back and forth pattern as Ruby cut down lesser Grimm like a demented lawn mower. Smaller, less powerful Grimm fell, cut in half by Crescent Rose's monstrous blade. Blake advanced behind her, dozens of her shadow clones splitting off from her body. Each one carried with it a small Dust charge, exploding the moment a Grimm made contact with it. Blake herself was dual wielding her katana and its sheath, cutting through the Grimm with deadly precision. Yang ignored the smaller beasts, heading straight for the strongest monsters. Fire trailed in her wake as her hair glowed like molten steel. Her first punch hit a Death Stalker hard enough to lift it into the air and throw it a good fifty feet. Weiss stayed back a bit, using her Glyphs and her Dust to support her team mates. However, her primary focus was on the sky. Bolts of lightning, shards of ice, and gouts of fire struck the airborne Grimm, slaying them.

I switched to watching Team JNPR.

Jaune strode into the melee, blazing like a torch. Grimm advanced on him but he hacked them aside with his sword, effortlessly cutting through flesh and bone, leaving nothing but disintegrating corpses in his wake. Ren practically danced across the battlefield. Every movement he made was carefully measured. No more and no less than what was needed. Short bursts of gunfire and quick strikes from his blades destroyed anything he encountered. A massive Ursa, most likely an Ursa Major, stalled him for a moment. He returned his weapons to his sleeves, then performed a quick series of jabs to the beast, breaking of some of its spines. He grabbed one of the spines and shoved it into the beast's head, finishing it with a palm strike to the spine that shredded the beast. Nora meanwhile served the same purpose for JNPR that Yang did for RWBY. She and her massive hammer felled the mightiest of the Grimm with ease, destroying the greatest threats before they could trouble her team mates.

A screech from above warned that a Nevermore was preparing to throw some of its massive feathers at us. Instead of displaying any sense of alarm, Pyrrha simply tapped a pair of bags she wore on her back. They opened, and hundreds of steel needles began to spill out of them, hovering beside the red haired Huntress. She gestured, and the needles flew up to meet the Nevermore feathers, tearing them apart before they could reach the ground. More needles flew at the Nevermores themselves, tearing them apart with the same ease.

RWBY and JNPR weren't considered elite for nothing. Despite the unusual situation, nothing that stood in their way survived. Some of the Grimm strayed out of their reach, but they were quickly cut down by third and fourth year students. In the space of a morning the Grimm army was reduced to shattered remnants, desperately trying to escape. But there was no mercy to be found in the eight elite Hunters. Maybe a dozen Grimm actually got away, but I wouldn't bet on it. It was all over by noon.

RWBY and JNPR started taking questions then, as if they'd just demonstrated some minor point in a classroom, rather than annihilating an army of monsters, but soon enough it was time to return to Beacon.

**A/N: That was fun. And messy. **

**To the easily tempted anonymous guest, what is fiction but dreams made real? Imagination transcribed and recorded forever in the form of paper and ink (well, data in this case, but you get the point), that is fiction! And yet, you know me not, for everything within my story has a role to play. Be it great or small, every detail is of the utmost importance. Alright, enough dramatics. Yes, the mech is there in part because it amuses me, but there is an actual reason for it too. As for Ren and Nora's wedding, it's best if you don't know. It's best if I don't know either. It's best if no one knows. Also, there was weird glitch with the site where, when I uploaded chapter nineteen it didn't realize I'd updated the story. I meant to mention that last chapter, but I forgot.**

**To Cyborg, let's pause for a moment and take a look at what Pyrrha is. She's the strongest girl in Beacon. She's nice. She's pretty. She's smart. She's set new records for winning streaks in tournaments. She has an incredibly powerful Semblance. She can fight an entire team by herself and win. I could keep going, but I think I've made my point. She basically has no negative features, which is what's setting off my Sue detection system. However! She also deals with some of the downsides of these things and her abilities never overshadow the story, which is what has me confused. She's a Sue, but she doesn't _act_ like a Sue. As for the difference between Hunter teams and Elite Hunter teams, the difference is how good they are at their job.**

**To flamingparadox169, thank you. The story's still not that far along, but it's good to know that you like what I do have so far.**

**Speaking of which, I finally did some rough calculations as to this story's final length. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. My low end estimates place the final number of chapters in the one hundred and twenty range, with the high end pushing two hundred. I could be off by quite a bit, but still. Yikes. This is going to take a while.**


	22. Training

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"...and she even has a pet insult for Ruby, I mean come on! It's obvious Weiss is a tsundere!" I said to my team as we made our way to the training arena.

"It would be more obvious if we'd actually seen a tsundere character," David said. "Given that all we have to go on is what you've told us, it's not really that obvious."

It had been several weeks since RWBY and JNPR destroyed the Grimm army. They'd both left soon after, with Ruby admonishing me to call more often. And email. And write. And maybe smoke signals too, I'm not entirely sure. Anyways, today we were going to try to work on helping Rebecca get over her fear. I spoke to Professor Coco and she agreed to help, so long as she was supervising.

"My point still stands, she has a massive crush on Ruby."

"You said that already," Lily said. "We get it. You think they should get together."

"Yep. I ship it." I said.

Lily stopped to stare at me. "What do oceangoing vessels have to do with anything?"

"Right, sorry, another Earth expression. I think it has more to do with shipping, rather than ships, but that's not really important."

"I will never understand you."

"Good, I don't like being understood," I replied.

"Why are you so annoying?"

"Because it's fun?"

"You're insufferable!"

"'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.'" I quoted.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Lily practically screeched.

"What, you don't like me quoting movies you've never seen?"

"NO!"

"Your loss." I shrugged, turning to Rebecca. "How you doing?"

"Fine," she said. She'd been quietly fidgeting for the last five minutes.

"If you don't feel you can do this..."

"No, I'm fine," she said, taking a deep breath. "This is something I have to do."

"Alright. If you think you can do this, I'll back you up."

"Thanks."

We pushed through the door into the arena. Coco was waiting for us, a caged Boarbatusk next to her. "You're late."

I checked the time on my scroll. Technically, we were late, but only by maybe thirty seconds. "Sorry about that," I said.

"Well you weren't too late," she said amicably. "I'll watch from the benches, so have fun." She hefted her purse and climbed into the bleachers. Coco was quite possibly our most flamboyant professor, having replaced Professor Port a few years earlier. Then again, she could dress however she wanted too and we'd probably still respect her. The massive gatling gun that her purse somehow turns into would be enough for that. Lily and David took seats as well, leaving Rebecca and me as the only ones standing.

"Thanks again Professor," I said. I turned to Rebecca. Her face was pale and beaded with sweat as she stared at the Boarbatusk. "You okay?"

"Y-y-y-yes." Her teeth were chattering.

"We're going to get a little closer now, okay?"

She nodded shakily. We took a step forwards, then stopped.

"You're doing fine," I encouraged. She stopped to take a deep breath, then took another step. I followed behind her.

Another step. Another. Each one was agonizing. I could see Rebecca drawing on every last scrap of willpower she had not to turn and run. _Come on, just a little further. _I thought furiously. _Just a little more.__  
><em>

Rebecca was now just three steps away from the cage. After a long hesitation, she took another step. Two steps away. Her leg lifted to take the next step, but froze halfway.

"I...I can't..." She was starting to hyperventilate.

"Yes you can," I said firmly. "You can do this. You're stronger than your fears. Prove it."

She closed her eyes. "I- I'm stronger than my fears." Her eyes opened again and she took the next step.

"One more step," I said. "One more."

She didn't hear me. She had completely frozen up.

"Rebecca!"

"I...I can't...I can't do this!" Her eyes were wide with terror.

I grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Rebecca, look at me. You can do this. You can beat it. One more step."

"I can't do it," she whispered. "I can't."

"...Alright. We'll try again tomorrow," I said, gently pulling her away from the Grimm.

"She did better than last time," Coco said. "Maybe tomorrow she'll actually manage to touch the cage." She climbed down the bleachers to collect her pet monster. "David, could you help me take this thing back to storage?"

David stood and grabbed one end of the cage while Coco picked up the other. In no time at all they'd taken it out of the room.

Rebecca sighed with relief, collapsing into a heap on the floor.

"You're getting better," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "You're doing it. You're winning."

"Right." She smiled weakly.

"Now up on your feet. Time for the part you actually like." Over the last five weeks we'd established a routine. Four times a week after classes, Rebecca would try to get as close as possible to the Boarbatusk. When she reached her limit, the Grimm would be taken away. Then we would conduct normal training. I had made the decision that it would help for all of us to learn at least a bit about each other's fighting styles and skills. In particular, training always started with unarmed combat as taught by Rebecca.

I don't know if it was doing something familiar, the physical activity, or simply the opportunity to thoroughly humiliate the rest of us, but it always cheered her up and calmed her down.

I was the first up. I prepared myself for pain. She opened the fight with palm strike to my chest followed with a kick aimed at my head. I managed to sway backwards in time to dodge the palm strike, dropping into a sweeping kick to evade her high kick. She hopped backwards, then rebounded with an elbow strike that caught me in the side. I winced at the pain, even through the Aura and training gear, spinning into backhanded blow that caught her in the midriff. She rode my blow, robbing it of force, following up with a kick that caught me in the lower back. I fell forward, then rolled to the side to dodge her axe kick. I popped back up, lashing out with a fist as I did so. My uppercut connected squarely with her chin, my first solid blow of the match. It was also my last as she used the momentum of my punch to flip backwards, striking at my chest with both feet. I flew backwards, landing in a dazed heap. Before I could recover my senses she had me in choke hold. I signaled my surrender and she released me.

"Nice move at the end," she remarked.

"Not nice enough," I replied, rubbing various sore spots. "How long have you been doing this again?"

"Seven years? No, eight."

"And that is why I consider any blow landed upon you to be a victory in its own right." I turned around just as David returned. "Excellent timing. Your turn to suffer, big guy."

* * *

><p>We each took three turns against Rebecca. None of us stood a chance against her. After that we took some time to let our Auras recover by studying Dust with Lily. I still had a very poor grasp of the stuff, outside of mechanical applications. Today's class was on some the ways to use Dust for spells. It was mostly theoretical, but at the end we did get a chance to demonstrate it with the real stuff. I did slightly better when actually handling Dust than I did on theory, but I was still rather bad at it.<p>

Once Lily's class ended we switched to my segment. We'd pair off, and then the two pairs would go against each other, no holds barred. Sometimes partners would be paired together, but more often I made sure to mix things up. The goal was to learn to work together no matter the situation, which meant having a complete awareness of each other's abilities. Today it was David and Rebecca against Lily and myself, which turned out exactly the way you'd expect it to, with Lily and me getting utterly destroyed. Rebecca and David had gone to Torch together after all. They were already familiar with each other's moves while Lily and I were still struggling to find our rhythm.

After that, David lead us in meditation. I was rather surprised by David's choice of topic, but apparently thought it was worth doing. So we meditated.

After training we made our way back to the dorm to do homework, then went to bed.

* * *

><p>I stayed up that night. MRLD was rapidly becoming better. I pulled out my scroll to check something. Yep. We were currently number one in the team dueling standings for first year students in Beacon. Team OMLT, Team Omelette (I still can't say their name with a straight face), was in second with DMND in third. I checked for CLVR, finding them all the way down at eighteenth. Figures. They have no finesse, no coordination, and no subtlety. I mean seriously, Conrad's weapon is a pair of buzzsaws mounted on gauntlets. Short of a mace, I doubt you can get any less subtle than that.<p>

I sighed with satisfaction. Whether I wanted the job or not, I was MRLD's leader, and I was going to do my best to live up to that. It was nice to see such solid and positive results. Part of me mourned the fact that the Vytal festival wasn't taking place this year. It would have been nice to enter in one of the tournaments. Still, first in the year was no small feat. I allowed myself a small chuckle. We were quite possibly one of the strangest teams Beacon had ever assembled, but we were already aiming to be one of the best.

If I was still here by then. I still wanted to go home, but a small part of me was no longer quite so sure. I'd been gone for three and a half years. My friends and family no doubt thought I was dead, that my book had been closed. Did I really have the right to try to reopen that book? I shook myself. Of course I had the right. I had to get back to my old home, my old life. But what if I couldn't? I'd just finished my junior year of high school when I suddenly ended up here. Could I really pick the threads of my old life back up?

I snorted. This is what I get for thinking about this sort of thing at night. You can never trust yourself at night. I put my scroll away, rolled over, and went to sleep.

**A/N: I imagine the Vytal Festival as basically the Remnant equivalent to the Olympics, thus it only happens every four years. The last one happened two years ago, and the next one will be in MRLD's third year at Beacon. However, this one will be held in Atlas because it changes location too. **

**To Fourze, Ren's moves really don't lend themselves to improvement, unfortunately. Unless I gave him some new power, I couldn't figure out any way to make him stronger.**

**Given that this is my second future fic, I'd like to think I've learned a bit about how to realistically age up a character. It's a bit of a balancing act in my opinion, making enough changes that you really get the sense that time has indeed passed, but not changing so much that the character is unrecognizable. **

**To the logarithmic anonymous guest, the simple answer regarding the details of the weddings is that Kevin really isn't that interested in them, therefore they aren't going to make it into the story. The whole thing is done from his point of view, and if he doesn't care about something or doesn't focus on it then it won't show up. As for Nora, she's calmed down a little from her Beacon days, but she's still pretty off-beat. However, she, along with the rest of JNPR, is at most a tertiary character in this story and therefore won't receive much attention.**

**To Chris7221, Kevin does not have any prior knowledge of the RWBY show, mainly because the day he ended up in Remnant was in early June of 2010. The Red trailer wouldn't even come out for another two and a half years, so there was no way for him to know about it. This chapter brings us to late November of 2013, at which point volume one of RWBY is out, but Kevin has no way of knowing this. The timelines are a bit skewed between Earth, Remnant, and RWBY, which will be explained later.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	23. Family Tradition

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"And come out of there, you stupid- Aha!" I said as I pried open a jammed maintenance panel on the Paladin. I glanced in. To most people it probably looked like nothing more than a tangled nest of wires, but it was a key control node for the left arm. Which wasn't working at the moment. "Alright, now what's the problem in here?" I asked, peering in.

I was working on the Green Knight, experimenting with it to figure out how it worked. Most recently, I'd done some work on the left hand and lower arm, but when I reassembled everything, it wasn't working. The equipment I was using indicated that the problem was most likely further up the arm, which was why I was prying open the panel on the underside of the upper arm.

"You know it's not going to tell you," Lily commented. She was currently watching me from her perch on my work bench, apparently taking great delight at my frustration.

"It will," I growled. "It's going to tell me what's wrong, and it's going to tell me now."

"It can't talk."

"Well maybe you don't speak its language."

"That's its problem, given that the entire rest of the world speaks my language."

I glanced down at her. "Yeah, why is that? On my world there are hundreds of languages. Here there's only one, unless you count previous versions of this language."

"I don't know, why does your world have so many?" Lily had finally conceded to my claims of being from another world, on the condition that I stop rubbing her face in it. I made no promises.

"Cultural differences," I said, my voice echoing as I put my face back into the maintenance panel. "Distinct ethnic groups. Lingual divergence. Pronunciation drift. Patois and pidgin versions of existing languages. Any number of reasons really. What I don't get is how four kingdoms that are scattered across three continents and are exceedingly difficult to travel between all share the same language. It doesn't make any sense. In my world the local language can change multiple times in less than a hundred miles. Particularly in Europe or Africa, and those have contiguous land connections between- Aha!" I found a wire that was pulled out of place. "I found it!"

Carefully reconeccting the wire, I pulled my head out of the machine. I performed a quick series of tests on the arm. Everything showed green, so I closed up the maintenance panel. I glanced at the clock. "I think that's enough for today," I said.

"Are you going to work on it more tomorrow?" Lily asked. It was a fair question, given that tomorrow was Sunday, but I had other plans.

"No. Tomorrow's December first. I have to make some preparations."

"Preparations for what?"

"A family tradition of mine," I said, starting to gather up my tools to put back on their hooks. "A holiday from my world that I try to celebrate every year."

"A holiday?"

"It's called Hanukkah. It's associated with a specific religion, which I suppose I technically am a part of, although my family hasn't been observant since my...great...great grandparents' generation I think. We just celebrate the holiday. Unfortunately, the holiday moves every year, and I'm not familiar enough with the calendar it's based on to tell when it's supposed to happen, so I settled on December first as the compromise date."

"So you're going to take tomorrow off?"

"No, the holiday doesn't start until the sun goes down. Then it lasts for eight days, ending when the sun goes down on the eighth day."

"That's...weird."

"It's a celebration of an event that took place more than two thousand years ago. Of course it's weird."

"What sort of preparations do you need to make?"

"Well, I need to get a few things out of storage and pick up about four dozen candles."

"Four dozen?" Lily seemed taken aback. "What do you need that many candles for?"

"Well it's not quite four dozen, the actual number is forty-four. As for what I need them for, I'm going to burn them. What else do you do with candles?"

"Why?"

"It's part of the holiday. I don't need very big candles. I've found that larger birthday candles work fairly well for what I'm doing, although I do wish I had some actual Hanukkah candles."

"So, aside from burning obscene numbers of candles, what do you do for this holiday?"

"Lily, are you actually curious about my world? I never thought I'd see the day!" I said with a grin. "Well, there is a game associated with it, but I don't have the things I'd need to play it. There's also some types of food associated with the holiday, but as you know I'm a terrible cook and should never be allowed anywhere near a stove. Beyond that, there are a few prayers I know for it, a few songs, and it's also a gift giving holiday, although not to the extent of Christmas."

"Christmas?"

"Another Earth holiday. Takes place December twenty fifth. Associated with another religion, although corporate culture has pretty much turned it into a secular event," I said. "Unfortunately it tends to dominate December in my world. You won't get the songs out of your head until February."

"Your world is weird."

"So's yours. So we're even," I said, finishing the task of cleaning up. "Free ride back to the dorm?"

"Sure." She held out her hand, which I took. A moment later and we were gone.

* * *

><p>The next day I dug into the storage trunk I kept under my bed. My old hiking clothes from my world, my cell phone, the broken half of my old hiking stick, ah, there it was. I pulled out the crudely shaped hunk of metal. It was the menorah I'd made my first year at Signal when learning to forge my own weapon. It was one of the first things I'd made and it looked the part. But I honestly didn't care. It was a reminder and a declaration. I was going to find my way home some day, and I would not forget who I was in the process. Sure, it was rough. Sure, it was ugly. But it was something I had made and it was the only one of its kind in this world.<p>

I glanced around, looking for a good place for it. The window sill should do. I gently placed the iron thing on the sill and took a step back. Perfect.

"What is that?" Rebecca asked as she walked into the room.

"A menorah. It holds candles."

"Why?"

"A holiday from my world that I'm celebrating." I gave her the same quick overview of the holiday that I gave Lily.

She walked over to the menorah and carefully examined it. She turned to me. "You made this?"

"Yeah, it was one of the first things I made when learning how to make weapons. The instructors had no idea what it was."

"It's nice."

"It's hideous, but that's not what matters," I said. "I need to head into town to get a few things, be back in an hour or so." I decided to just use my Semblance instead of waiting for the air bus, appearing over at an empty lot I typically used for that purpose. I started walking in the direction of a party store I knew. Their candles weren't exactly right, but they were the closest I'd been able to find and they fit the holders of the menorah. I waved to the owner as I walked in.

"You again?" he asked.

"Well it's that time of year again," I replied.

"Forty four again?"

"Better make it four dozen. Last year I broke a few and had to come back for more."

"I remember," he said, gathering up the candles and putting them in a box before handing them to me. "Here you are."

"Thanks." I paid for the candles before heading back out into the town.

While I was in town I also picked up a few trinkets to give as gifts. Nothing too expensive or dramatic, just little things for the people in my life. I picked up something for Ruby, something for Weiss, a gift for Yang, and even, after some hesitation, a small gift for Blake too, if only to thank her for her help with Rebecca. I also made sure to pick something up for everyone on my team, as well as a small gift for DMND as a whole. I then went to the post office to mail RWBY's gifts before returning to the Beacon.

* * *

><p>As night fell, I made my way over to the menorah. I carefully placed one candle in the far right holder and another in the central, taller holder. With a lighter, I light the central candle. I then put the lighter away and began to recite the familiar words.<p>

"Barukh atah..." I intoned the words as best I could remember them. My pronunciation was off, it always was, even in my own world, and some of the words were starting to blur in my memory, but I managed to make it through the ceremony, ending with "...laz'man hazeh." I then took the central candle and used it to light the other candle before returning it to its holder.

"What was all that about?" David asked. I jumped. My team had snuck up behind me while I was speaking.

"Oh, did Rebecca and Lily not tell you what I was planning?"

"No, they told me, but what were you saying?"

"Uh...I honestly don't really remember what the words mean. I'm pretty sure it's a prayer to God, but for me it's just the tradition. I don't speak Hebrew unfortunately. German I can speak for the most part, but not Hebrew."

"These are languages in your world?" Lily asked.

"Yeah."

"So what's this holiday about?" Rebecca asked.

"Um, well, it's mostly a celebration of a successful rebellion and some oil that burned far longer than it should have. The story calls both of these events miracles. I'm more interested in the first one."

"Why?" David asked.

"Because it was something achieved by humans. With effort, dedication, faith, and courage, they came together to achieve something thought to be impossible. It's proof that we can make our own miracles," I said. "With enough effort, there's nothing that's impossible."

"You're talking about finding a way back to your world," Rebecca said.

"Yes," I replied. "I like you guys, but I have people on the other side too. I haven't seen them in more than three years. I have to get home."

The three of them shared a look. "We understand," David said. "If, no, when the time comes and you find a way home, we won't ask you to stay."

"Thanks guys," I said. My eyes were starting to get misty. I blinked it away. "I got you guys some things." I went to my trunk and pulled out the gifts. A tiny metal snowflake for Lily, a tool I'd found to help with sharpening weapons for David, and a hairpin I'd found for Rebecca. They each gave me a surprised look as I handed out the gifts, but they were each rather pleased with the things I'd found for them. And that was enough for me.

I then went across the hall to DMND's room. Finding it empty, I slipped inside and left the gift I'd gotten for them on a table with a note attached before returning to the MRLD room. While everyone else finished up various pieces of homework, amused themselves in various ways, or went to bed, I watched the candles slowly burn down to nothing.

I smiled softly. Making your own miracle isn't easy, but it is possible.

**A/N: Because everyone's done a Christmas story/chapter. That, and it was nice to see another side of Kevin's personality.**

**To Cyborg, Penny's still around. However, some of her...descendants I guess you would call them, were prominently involved in the "incidents" Ozpin mentioned, so she's staying out of the public eye for the time being.**

**To the well read anonymous guest, I have indeed read the original book, although it's been a while. Kevin, however, has not. Since this is not a self-insert, I make it a point to maintain author/character separation as best I can. Kevin has seen the movie, but he's not the sort to go read the book. Thus, he can only quote from the movie. As for CLVR, Kevin finds that their plight appeals to his sense of schadenfreude. Hence his reason for keeping tabs on them, and hence the reason I mentioned them at all. **

**I will leave the fate of the rest of team CFVY for another chapter and instead talk about CRDL's ironic fate here: Russel turned out to be a latent Faunusexual (this is now a word) under the racism, falling for a mouse Faunus named Dessi in his final year at Beacon. (He had no defense against the whiskers.) He is now married with a son and two daughters, all of whom take after their mother, and is working in law enforcement. Cardin turned out to just be a racist, and was unable to handle his partner dating a Faunus. He dropped out of Beacon (he was failing anyways), and now works night security for White Fox Research. (He may show up in the actual story.) Sky and Dove graduated and are currently active Huntsmen, although not on the level of RWBY or JNPR.**

**In other news, Nora and Ren confirmed! Check out the new song "Boop" from the volume two soundtrack. Utter hilarity shall ensue! Also, I'm really liking the full version of "Sacrifice". Very useful as background music for working on this story's actual plot. Which we will return to at some point fairly soon. I hope. **

**That's all for this chapter, see you all next time.**


	24. Winter Break: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"See you next semester!" Lily shouted, waving at me as she boarded an air bus.

The first semester had come to an end. We now had a whole month off for the Winter Break and students were leaving Beacon in droves. Lily, David, and even Rebecca were all going home to spend time with their families and DMND was out as well, leaving me all alone. RWBY was also out of town at the moment, so I was left to my own devices. Well, not quite. I had an appointment to keep.

I closed my eyes and teleported into town, my sudden appearance startling a group of kids who had been playing in the abandoned lot. I smiled at them, then started walking. One of the things about Vale, probably all of the kingdoms actually, is that everything is really close together. You can walk across the city of Vale in span of a day. My personal explanation for this is that the natural defenses which protect Vale from the Grimm also limit the available space, forcing people to build efficiently.

I passed by a pizza parlor and stopped for lunch. I settled into my seat with my greasy slice of cheesy goodness in front of me. A thought occurred to me, and I turned to tell Rebecca, only to remember that she wasn't there. I shook my head. I was used to being on my own! I'd spent three years living alone, working alone, studying alone, and eating alone at Signal! Why did I suddenly feel so lonely? I'd only been at Beacon for five months!

"Company is easy to become accustomed to," a familiar voice said. I jumped, looking up. A man with grey hair and glasses looked at me from a nearby table.

"Professor Ozpin? What are you doing here?" I asked. _And how are you reading my mind?_

"Eating lunch," he said. And indeed, he had his own pizza slice in front of him along with his trademark coffee mug. "I must say, I did not expect to encounter one of my students today."

"To be fair, I wasn't expecting to run into anyone either, Professor."

"May I ask what you are doing in the city today?"

"Um, well, I'm going to visit White Fox Research. They still have me come in every six months or so to take a look at me."

"Ah, the research company paying for your tuition."

"Yes Professor."

"Hmm. Curious. What do they still hope to gain from studying you?"

"Anything really. As far as I know, all they've managed to find so far is a few medical curiosities. I'm actually surprised they haven't tried to find a way out of the contract by now."

"Be careful Kevin. Not everyone will tell you the truth."

"Professor, I turn twenty in three months. I know how the world works."

"Very well, but I would still advise caution." He finished his lunch and rose to leave. "You never know who your enemies may be." He walked out.

"Why do I always get the sense that he knows something I don't?" I muttered to myself. _What was he warning me about anyways? White Fox? They're a research firm. It's not like they're even capable of causing that much trouble._

I finished my lunch and resumed my journey.

* * *

><p>I arrived at my destination less than an hour later. The building was an unremarkable office building, the sole identifying feature being the firm's logo and name mounted over the door. I pulled out my scroll and scanned it at the entrance. A few seconds passed before I was buzzed in. I pushed open the door and walked into the lobby. It was, well, a lobby. There were a few chairs scattered around, some plants, some magazines on subjects that I really didn't care about, and of course the receptionist's desk, manned by a guy with messy purple hair and an unnaturally infectious smile. According to his name tag he rejoiced in the illustrious name of Barry.<p>

"Did I do something immensely funny without noticing?" I asked him. I had no idea why he was smiling. Maybe I had pizza on my face or something?

"No, you're just the most interesting thing that's happened all day," Barry replied.

"Wow, you must have the most boring job on the planet."

"You have no idea."

"Probably not. I spend most of my days learning how to kill/blow stuff up."

"Really?"

"With a dash of history, math, science, and machine shop."

"No literature?"

"Elective course. I like books, but I hate literature classes. I decided to focus on the machines instead."

"Alright, makes sense."

"So, I have an appointment with Dr. Dym soon, could you let her know I'm here?"

"No problem," he said, hitting a button. "Take a seat, she'll be out in a bit."

"Sounds good." I made my way over to one of the seats. Having nothing of importance to do, I decided on some people watching. Which amounted to observing Barry daydreaming. A man did walk past though. I only noticed because of his blue hair and vaguely brown skin which almost fooled me into thinking he was David for a minute, but he walked past without even glancing at me.

"Kevin!" I glanced to my right. A middle-aged woman with silver-grey hair dressed in a classic lab coat had just entered the lobby. I rose to my feet.

"Dr. Dym," I said. "It's been a while."

"Yes it has." She turned and started walking towards her examination room. I followed. "What have you been up to?"

"Well, I started at Beacon, got put in charge of a team, and currently am on vacation. How's it going here?"

"Nothing much of interest I'm afraid. We do have a new instrument we want to observe you with though."

"Just one this time? Are the tech boys running out of ideas?"

"Well you keep confounding them," Dr. Dym said, smiling. "Our best instruments aren't fast enough to catch you which means your teleportation occurs in less than a tenth of a nano second. That's a tall order."

"True. Oh, by the way, I managed to do something interesting with my Semblance about two months back."

"Oh, what did you do?"

"We, my team that is, ran into some White Fang thugs attempting to rob a Dust shop. When we intervened, another White Fang member showed up with an Atlesian Paladin."

"And you used your Semblance on it?"

"Yes, but that's not the interesting part. I've moved objects of that size before. The interesting part is that I managed to take the machine but not the pilot."

"So he was left in midair?"

"So I'm told. I didn't actually see it unfortunately. I would have paid good lien to see the look on his face."

"Interesting. You seem to be developing a greater degree of control and finesse with your Semblance." She turned to the right, pushing open the door to the familiar room. "Any news on the accuracy problem?"

"Not really. My margin of error is getting smaller, but not by much. Maybe three and a half feet instead of four," I said, stepping in behind her.

"Well at least it's progress."

"Slow and steady wins the race and all that."

"I see you're still using phrases from your world," she said, grinning.

"Yep. It annoys the heck out of one of my team mates."

"I imagine it does," she laughed. "Are you ready for the examination?"

"As long as you're not poking me with needles," I said, removing my shirt.

"In case I haven't mentioned it before Kevin, Signal and Beacon definitely seem to agree with you."

"Training to fight Grimm does tend to do good things for one's muscles," I noted. When I arrived in Remnant I had been a fairly average guy. Tall, maybe a little on the skinny side, but certainly no athlete. The last three years had changed that. Now when I looked in the mirror I saw muscles that belonged on a champion athlete. I occasionally wondered what certain people back home would think of me now.

"So it does," she said, pulling out the stethoscope. "Now hold still and breath deeply."

* * *

><p>"Everything checks out," Dr. Dym said. "You're in excellent physical health, quite possibly even better than you were last time."<p>

"And my Aura?"

"It's increased in strength substantially. Part of that can be attributed to training, but this is unusually fast growth."

"Possible causes?"

"Moments of high stress are one possible reason. Aura tends to respond to strain."

"Yeah, I've had plenty of those over the last six months."

"Another possible cause is emotional growth due to being forced to work with others."

"Emotional growth?"

"Kevin, you know what Aura is."

"It's a manifestation of one's soul."

"So wouldn't it make sense if personal development affected it? Physical activity does, so why not mental?"

I didn't have a good answer for that. "You make a compelling case."

"Of course I do. I'm the doctor."

"So, off to the test room?" I asked.

"Off to the test room. You can put your shirt back on now. We wouldn't want the techs feeling insecure."

"Guess not," I said, pulling my shirt back on.

* * *

><p>"So you just want me to teleport across the room while wearing this?" I asked, holding up the belt-like device they'd handed me. I was now standing in a long, mostly empty underground room that was typically used for testing large scale experiments, my teleportation being one of them.<p>

"Yep," one of the technicians said from his spot over by the only piece of furniture in the room, a desk with a rather sophisticated computer on it. "We'll monitor the event from here."

"Alright, simple enough." I strapped the belt around my waist. "Whenever you're ready."

"Now's fine."

"Great." I closed my eyes for a moment, then activated my Semblance. I passed through some sort of subterranean cavern, reappearing in the lab.

"We got something!" the tech shouted. I glanced down.

"I don't think you got anything useful." The device was sparking and half-melted. I quickly removed the belt before it could catch fire or explode. "What did you get?"

"...Nothing. It's just junk data. The only significant information is a brief burst of energy, but then the instrument failed. Everything after that is too garbled to get anything out of."

"Well at least you got something."

"Nothing we didn't already know," he muttered.

What? I thought they hadn't found anything before this. "You knew about the energy surge?"

"Well, I suppose 'knew' isn't exactly the right word," he said. He was sweating. Odd, given that this room was kept rather cool. "We strongly suspected that there'd be a burst of energy. Teleportation isn't exactly easy to do. Even with Dust, it takes a huge amount of energy."

"You can teleport with Dust?" I asked. This was the first I'd heard of this.

"Uh, yeah, but it's completely impractical." He was still sweating. "It takes way too much Dust to ever be useful."

"Which is why you're studying me?"

"Yeah. We were hoping we could figure out how you do it in the hopes of making something a bit more practical."

"Well, I think that's enough for today," a deep voice rang out. A tall man with sleek black hair had entered the lab.

"Oh, Dr. Byss, we were just finishing up!" the tech said, slightly panicked. Having the head of your company show up will do that to a person.

"I can see that." He turned to me. "Hello again, Mr. Malder."

"Dr. Byss." I nodded in respect. The man was a brilliant scientist, the Stephen Hawking of this world. He was also in the very select club of people who manage to make me feel stupid by comparison. Said club currently consists of him and Ozpin, with Oobleck almost, but not quite, making the cut.

"I would like to look at the data," he said to the tech. "Mr. Malder, you are free to go."

"Thank you doctor." I exited the room. What was that all about? I shrugged, resolving to do some research into Dust-based teleportation over the next month. It was something I probably should have looked into already, come to think of it, but there had never been time before. Oh well.

I hopped the elevator back up to the lobby. As I left I noticed the man with the odd resemblance to David passing by again, but I didn't stop to talk. I waved to Barry who unlocked the doors for me. I stepped outside. Now that that was out of the way, I could get started on enjoying my break.

**A/N: That's about it for this chapter. Some new characters, a new location, and some interesting commentary from Ozpin. Yep, my work here is done.**

**To the anonymous guest with the philosophical bent, I think it's fairly clear that Penny is indeed a person. She is capable of generating an Aura, which means she possesses a soul. The only things that can generate Aura are living beings such as animals and people (and possibly plants, although that was never addressed), which means Penny is irrefutably alive. The next question is whether she's self-aware, although the answer to that seems fairly obvious, judging by her behavior. **

**As for music as inspiration for my writing, sometimes it's just as background noise (this chapter was written entirely to the new acoustic version of "This Will Be the Day" which has absolutely nothing to do with this chapter), sometimes it's because it's associated with the show and vaguely connected with the scene at hand (several action scenes were written to the incomplete version of "Caffeine"), and sometimes it's because it describes something I'm writing about (the "Shattered" arc of this story, chapters fourteen through eighteen, was written to two songs, "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence and the appropriately named "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling). I know other people use music in similar ways, but not everyone likes writing to music. **

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	25. Winter Break: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Nothing," I said. "There's practically nothing useful on Dust teleportation." I was in the library at Beacon. Fortunately it was kept open for those students who stayed for the break. Some had long term projects they were working on while others just enjoyed the quiet space to read in. I was working on one of the computers, pursuing my personal project. With virtually no success. Everything I'd found so far was from fiction.

"Having a hard time?" a mocking voice came from behind me. I put my head on the keyboard and sighed.

"Conrad, I thought you were going home. Why are you bothering me?"

"I was bored."

"Well go be bored somewhere else, I'm trying to get something done here."

"Teleportation?" he read over my shoulder. "Why would you be interested in that? You can already do it."

"Thank you, I hadn't noticed. I'm trying to figure out if there's another way to do it."

"Why would you care?"

"I'd explain, but then I'd have to kill you. Actually, killing you might be a good idea anyways. It would get you out of my hair."

"You couldn't kill me if your life depended on it."

"First off, yes I could. Second, it's called sarcasm, Black. Look it up."

"Fine, you want to be all cranky nerd, go ahead. Only freaks like you would care about that sort of thing anyways."

"Actually, that gives me an idea, thanks Conrad. You can go now." I altered the settings on my search and tried again. This time I got something. A research paper from a couple decades ago, authored by...Evan Byss? I did a quick check. Yep. That was Dr. Byss, and judging by the date, this may have been his college thesis. Great. Those things are dense.

"Now what are you looking at?"

"Conrad, if you're going to read over my shoulder, I'm going to punch you. Go away."

"Fine, fussy pants." Fussy pants? That was a new one.

I started reading. Well, skimming. Hey, you try reading a college thesis! If it's possible to bore someone to death, a college thesis should be your weapon of choice. I quickly realized that this was a theoretical paper examining the possibilities of certain mixtures of Dust when applied to various aspects of theoretical physics, including teleportation. Interesting, but nothing substantial. Just theoretical work. I looked the various requirements predicted for teleportion and reeled back a bit. The estimates called for literally tons of the stuff, and that was just for moving one person. It also predicted a significant increase in cost for greater distances. Odd. My Semblance isn't affected by distance. Traveling across Vale is just as easy as traveling across the room, provided I get the distances right in my head.

Strange. Either this was raw theoretical work operating on incomplete information or Dust teleportation just doesn't work the same way my teleportation does. Possibly both. I sighed. I would have to think about this later, right now my mind was a bit fried. I closed down the computer and rose, heading for the exit. I was still staying in the dorm, keeping the place clean(ish).

* * *

><p>I sat down on my bed, considering what I had learned. It would make sense if the tech was nervous, perhaps he'd just accidentally revealed some company secret project or something. Well, it didn't affect me all that much. I'd keep an eye out though. My scroll went off in my pocket. I'd decided to swap out the ringtone, opting for This Will Be the Day instead of Red Like Roses Part Two. I checked the screen. A text from Ruby? I opened it up.<p>

_Hey Kevin. We're back in Vale for a while. See you 'round._

_-Ruby_

Weird. Ruby wasn't usually that subdued, even in texts. That wasn't a good sign. Subdued Ruby is scary. Something was wrong. I put my scroll away and put my shoes back on.

* * *

><p>I arrived at the house Ruby and Weiss shared. I was half surprised that I still remembered where to find it, but then again, I had lived there for a while. I walked up to the front door and knocked. No answer. I knocked again.<p>

There was a muffled "Just a second!" and then the door opened.

"Kevin." Weiss glared at me.

"Hi Weiss. Is Ruby alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"She sent me a text. Without any exclamation points."

"Come in." She turned and walked back into the house.

I followed. She took a right hand turn, entering the living room. Ruby was on the couch. She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, her face streaked with tears. "Hey Kevin," she rasped weakly.

"Ruby, are you okay?" I'd never seen her like this before. Weiss went to sit next to her, wrapping her arm around the younger woman.

"I-I'm fine," Ruby sniffled, her voice cracking. She went back to sobbing.

I turned to Weiss. "What happened?"

"We were on a mission to kill a group of Grimm."

That made sense, the Grimm have been more active of late. "What's the matter, you annihilated them, didn't you?"

"There was a Behemoth with them. Less than five miles from Vale."

Oh. I stared stupidly at Weiss for a minute. A Behemoth? Those things weren't just rare, they were practically unheard of! The only reason I even knew what they were was because Coco had briefly mentioned them, putting them in the category of Grimm that were best avoided, even by fully trained Hunters. Physically, they resemble a rhinoceros from Earth, but with the tusks of a hippopotamus and the tail of a snake. They also tend to be very, very, very big.

"What happened?"

"Yang happened. She took it down."

"Is she alive?"

"Yes, but it was close. She's in Vale General Hospital now."

"Will she make it?"

"The doctors aren't sure. They told us to leave while they worked on her."

"Odds of survival?"

"Fifty-fifty, maybe slightly worse."

Whoa. No wonder Ruby was a mess. I made my way over to the other side of the couch, sitting down next to Ruby. "Ruby, it's going to be fine. This is Yang we're talking about. She's too tough to die on us."

"I know," Ruby sobbed. "But it hurt her so _badly_!"_  
><em>

"You know what she'd say right now, don't you?" I asked. "'I'm not dead yet, so don't cry about me.'" I spoke in my best Yang impression.

Ruby just started crying harder. Weiss glared at me over her back. I took the hint. "I'm going to go check on Yang. Call if you need me." I slipped out of the house, feeling utterly useless. I pulled out my scroll, getting the address for Vale General. I started walking.

The Grimm threat was getting worse. Much worse. If an elite team like RWBY could run into trouble then all of Vale was in danger. And a Behemoth! You don't find those things anywhere near Vale! At the very closest, they occasionally enter Mountain Glenn, but to be close enough to actually pose a threat to Vale? That was a new development, and not a pleasant one.

I kept walking. Something was throwing this world off, or at least this part of it. I hadn't heard of any problems with Grimm in any of the other Kingdoms. Well, any more than normal. But Vale was in ever increasing danger. Grimm were growing in strength and number, and now rarer, more powerful varieties were appearing. If the situation kept getting worse, I doubted the defenses would hold for much longer. The question remained though, what was causing this? What could be causing this? No one had an answer.

I glanced up. I had arrived at the hospital. I pushed through the doors and walked up to the receptionist's desk. "Hi, my name's Kevin Malder, I'm a student at Beacon. I'm here to see a Yang Xiao Long. I'm a friend of both her and her sister."

The receptionist checked through her records for a moment before looking up. "I'm sorry, but miss Xiao Long is undergoing surgery at the moment."

"Alright, thank you," I sighed. "Do you know if she's going to be alright?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Thank you." I shook my head. This couldn't be real. I moved over to a chair and sat down. Yang could not be in the hospital. That was like saying a hurricane was in the hospital. It didn't make sense.

I sighed again. I've always prided myself on the ability to accept reality. This was possible, and it was real. And there was nothing I could do about it. I slowly rose and drifted over to the small card shop the hospital had. I picked up one of the many Get Well cards for Yang, making sure to find one with a particularly awful pun. I signed it and sealed it in the envelope before giving it to the receptionist. I hoped Yang would get to read the card.

I exited the building thoroughly unsettled. I took a moment to calm myself before activating my Semblance, reappearing at Beacon. I stopped by the armory, picking up Molnair and Talon. Then I went looking for an opponent.

* * *

><p>I found Conrad harassing a bat Faunus who I didn't know. The Faunus was obviously ignoring Conrad, but his ears kept twitching in annoyance.<p>

"Conrad, leave the Faunus alone," I said. "You and I are going to settle something."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You're going to grab your weapons and meet me in the arena. Now." I deliberately focused on my smoldering frustrated anger, taking advantage of his Semblance. Telempathy can be a double edged sword at times. "Go."

He did as I said, probably believing he'd finally gotten to me. Let him believe what he wanted.

"You didn't have to do that," the bat Faunus said.

"It's fine. I needed someone to beat up anyways and he's going to make an excellent punching bag."

The Faunus looked at me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I've been better, but right now I need to blow off some steam."

"Do you want me to referee?"

"That's probably a good idea. Thanks." I extended a hand to him. "Kevin, leader of Team MRLD. First year student."

"Ardun." He shook it. "Member of Team DARK. Second year student."

"Wow, Ozpin must have had a hard time with that one."

"He probably spent half an hour trying to find something else to call us before giving up."

"Probably. Want a ride to the arena?"

"A ride?"

"Unless you're prone to nausea, I can teleport us both there."

"You're about to go into a duel, shouldn't you save your Aura?"

"Against Conrad? Please. I'm good. You want that ride or not?"

"I think I'll pass. Thank you for the offer though."

"Suit yourself," I said, activating my Semblance.

* * *

><p>Conrad arrived shortly after Ardun did. He grinned as he entered the arena, his buzzsaw gloves beginning to spin.<p>

I performed the familiar wrist flick that activated Molnair's blade, then repeated the process with Talon. A month ago at Rebecca's suggestion I'd made a modification to Talon that allowed my to extend the spike and lock it in place, allowing me to safely use it against human opponents. I now had a blade on one arm and an eighteen inch steel spike on the other.

"Ardun will be the referee." I pointed at the bat Faunus. "First to red loses." I pointed to the big screen which displayed our Aura's. Conrad's was a full green. Mine was at about ninety five percent thanks to all the teleporting I'd done today. "Let's go."

"With pleasure," he said, grinning viciously. He dashed forward. Despite his small size, he was strong, and very fast. But MRLD wasn't the number one team in our year for nothing. He swung at me, buzzsaws whirring. I dodged. He was fast, but he had nothing on Rebecca. I spun to the side, stabbing at him with Talon. The strike didn't do much damage, but it did annoy him. I jumped back, his saws slicing nothing but air. I lunged forward again, bringing Molnair in with a powerful thrust. He managed to evade the point, but the edge still sliced into his Aura. I then spun into a kick, connecting solidly with his lower back, throwing him across the arena.

"Get up," I snarled. "We're not done yet." His Aura was still at about seventy five percent, not even yellow yet. He got to his feet.

"You're dead, Malder!" He charged at me again. I didn't even bother using my weapons, instead meeting his charge with another kick, this time to the chest. He staggered back as I swept forwards, striking with both weapons before bouncing back. His aura was dropping fast. He lashed out in another wild swing. I caught his attack on Talon. Sparks flew from his saw as it tried and failed to cut through the hardened steel of Talon's spike. I stabbed again with Molnair, striking his stomach. He swung with his other hand, but I ducked under the spinning blade and performed a high speed leg sweep, knocking to the ground.

I jumped back again, glancing at the screen. My Aura had gone down a bit, mostly from the Aura I was using for my attacks, but Conrad's was just barely in the yellow. One more strike would put him in the red. I aimed at him with my machine guns and pulled the trigger.

"And Kevin of Team MRLD is the winner!" Ardun announced. His voice sounded far away though, as if he was in another room. I marched over to Conrad.

"You see now why I don't strike back? Why I don't attack you when you bother me?" I demanded, my temper getting the better of me. "I'm not afraid of you, Conrad. I'm afraid of me, of what I might do. So I'm giving you a warning. Leave both me and my team alone. Or next time the fight doesn't stop until someone's Aura hits zero." I turned and walked away, ignoring the weak threats he shouted back at me. I glanced up at Ardun who had a rather alarmed look on his face. "Thank you for refereeing," I said before activating my Semblance, leaving the arena and most of my anger behind.

**END OF SEMESTER ONE**

**A/N: Well, that was...dramatic. Kevin's hard to tick off, but he has a very nasty temper.**

**To the anonymous guest, if we are interpreting sentience as the ability to feel, then I think Penny qualifies. We've seen her concerned, surprised, happy, and a few other emotions. For all intents and purposes, Penny is a human who just happens to be made of metal.**

**I'm going to take a break from this story for a bit, but I'll be back fairly soon. Keep an eye out for the second semester.**


	26. Break's End: Part One

**Second Semester**

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Welcome back," I said, greeting David as he stepped off the air bus. He was the first one back at Beacon, having arrived a day early.

"Good to be back," he replied. "How was your break?"

"...I'd rather not answer that just yet." We turned towards the building where our dorm was and started walking. Yours?"

"Fine, but my father had to work so I didn't get to see much of him."

"Oh, where does he work?"

"A place called White Fox Research."

"So _that's _who I saw!"

"What?"

"White Fox pays for my tuition here in exchange for letting them study me. They have me come in about twice a year these days so they can try new things with me. I saw someone who looked a lot like you while I was there, but I didn't stop to chat. I guess that must have been your father."

"Maybe." We had arrived at the dorm. I buzzed us in with my scroll and David started to unpack. "So, there's a rumor going around about you..."

"A rumor? About me?" I said, faking surprise. "You don't say! I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! David, there's always rumors going around about me. Rumors about where I'm from, rumors about why I'm two years older than everyone else, rumors about things I've supposedly done with my Semblance, and rumors about who I'm supposedly dating. This is nothing new."

"This rumor's a little different. It involves Conrad from CLVR."

Oh. I hadn't expected word to spread so quickly. "And?"

"And it says you challenged him to a duel, then proceeded to utterly destroy him."

"And you want confirmation on this?"

"Yes."

"In that case, yes, it happened," I said.

"Right. Why did you do it?"

"Why do you think?"

"Well I can think of several reasons, four of which I've already heard."

"And these reasons are?"

"The first one is that you were standing up to him for someone else."

"I suppose you could interpret the situation that way, he was bothering a bat Faunus when I challenged him," I paused for a moment. "But that's not why I did it."

"Second reason, that he annoyed you one too many times and you decided to teach him a lesson."

"That was the excuse, but not the reason."

David looked at me oddly, then continued. "Third reason, you did it because you wanted to, and that you secretly enjoy beating people up."

"No. I thought you knew me better than that."

"I thought I did too. Fourth reason, you were worked up about something else and Conrad just happened to be there."

"David, Yang's in the hospital."

"Oh."

"Yang is in the hospital with a fifty percent chance of survival, at best. Ruby is an absolute mess. Weiss is taking care of Ruby, and Blake is nowhere to be found, most likely doing her 'alone' thing." I glared up at David. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

"Kevin, that still wasn't like you. I know you, or at least I thought I did. You don't take out your problems on other people."

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." I looked away. "People have layers, David. What do you see when you look at my first layer?"

"A cynical, sarcastic, and obnoxious geek who enjoys annoying people."

"Very good. Now what's next?"

"A leader who's determined, brave, clever, and cares deeply about his responsibilities and the people around him.."

"I might quibble a bit with some of those points, but generally, yes. So what's the third layer? What happens when I get tired of being those people? When I no longer have the strength to keep up the image?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"David, the reason I pay so much attention to responsibility, the reason I care so much about people, is because I know what I am without those things. Without something holding me back, I'm a vicious, violent person. When I fought Conrad, I let the monster slip its chains just a bit. I shouldn't have done it, I shouldn't have let it happen, but it did. I'm just glad I got it back under control before I seriously hurt someone."

"So you have a temper. So what?"

"No. Yang has a temper. Lily has a temper. I have a monster."

"If you do, I've never seen it."

"No," I agreed. "You haven't seen it. I work very hard to keep it under control, because if I don't, people can and will get hurt." I took a deep breath. "Rebecca carried her demons on the outside. Mine lives on the inside."

"Kevin, everyone gets angry at times. I doubt you're anything special."

"David, you've seen me angry. It's not that bad. The most I do is yell a bit. This is something different."

He stared at me for a moment before responding. "Alright then, I'll believe you."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry if this causes you any trouble." I paused for a moment. "How did you hear about this so soon anyways?"

David gave me a look that bordered on insulted. "I hear everything. In this case, I heard it from Dawn, who heard it from Nyx, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from a team mate."

"You have an information network?"

"I like to maintain an awareness of my surroundings. When my Semblance isn't enough, I find other solutions."

"It's a good thing you're not into blackmail then."

"Probably," David said, smiling faintly.

"Speaking of which, could you not tell the girls about this?"

"They're going to find out about it sooner or later."

"I know. I'd just rather they hear it from me."

"If you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks, David."

* * *

><p>"So your dad works for White Fox?" I asked. We were in the cafeteria, eating dinner.<p>

"Yeah, his primary focus is on archaeology, with a side interest in lingual development."

"Huh. I wouldn't have thought White Fox would be interested in that sort of thing. They always seemed more like a tech company to me."

"They're a research firm. They have one of the largest databases in the world, along with some of the most advance computational abilities. They handle all sorts of things."

"Part of that sounded like it came from a brochure," I said. "So, lingual development? I wouldn't think there'd be much call for something like that in Remnant."

"It is rare. My father is one of maybe two dozen linguists in Vale, with maybe fifty world wide."

"Makes sense, smaller population combined with a much narrower field, at least compared to my world. So, what's your father do for White Fox?"

"Primarily translations of old manuscripts and carvings. He's almost never called in for anything that's less than a thousand years old."

"Interesting. Maybe I'll stop by to talk to him next time I visit White Fox. I wonder how he'd react to the fact that my world has hundreds of languages?"

"I have no idea. Probably demand a demonstration."

"Well, I do know German, although I wouldn't call myself fluent exactly."

"What does German sound like?"

"Guttural, harsher than English, it always sounds like the speaker is angry."

"English?"

"My world's name for the language we're speaking. English actually started as a pidgin language that evolved from a combination of French and German."

"So, could you say something in German?"

"Sure, what would you like me to say?"

"Um, how about something simple, like the table is brown or something?"

"Der Tisch ist braun," I said. Then I grinned. "Oder etwas."

"You said your world's version of this language developed from German?"

"Yeah, a lot of the words are similar, to the point of being almost the same. The grammar is a bit different, and the conjugations can be a nightmare, but the languages are very closely related."

"I noticed that. Most of the words sounded similar, although that last one threw me off a bit. Etvas?"

"It's spelled with a 'W', it means 'something'."

"A 'W'?"

"Pronunciation's a bit different. 'W's are 'V's. German also has a letter we don't have, and three modified versions of vowels. "

"That sounds needlessly complex."

"Only because you grew up speaking English, which is widely regarded as being one of the easiest languages to learn, albeit one of the hardest to master. German's actually fairly simple compared to some other languages."

"Huh. My dad would love you."

"Sorry, but I think Ruby has first dibs on adopting me, given that she might as well have already done so."

David chuckled. "I saw that. She was all over you when they visited."

"Did you see Weiss glaring at me too?" I asked.

"I saw Weiss glare at everyone."

"Point. But still, she glares at me every time Ruby hugs me."

"And this supports your theory about Weiss being a tsundere?"

"Yep."

"By the way, what language is 'tsundere' from anyways? It certainly doesn't sound like a word in this language."

"My friend, tsundere is from Japanese, the language of a place known as Japan. Modern day Japan is known for a few things: Technology, Anime, Video Games, and Really Weird Shit."

"Really Weird... I don't want to know."

"No. No you do not. 'WTF Japan?' is a very common phrase."

"Um, do you have an example that won't send people running?"

"Well there's some really weird anime. One involves robots coming out of a kid's forehead for...reasons. I'd try to explain, but I didn't really get it myself."

"Ooookay then."

"Yeah," I paused for a second. "How did we end up on this topic again?"

"I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to."

"So, seen any good movies lately?"

"Well there was this one about a group of elite hunters..."

**A/N: Yeah, this chapter really does not connect with itself at all. On the one hand, depressing news and an actual explanation for why Kevin kind of hates himself. On the other, talking about weird Japanese stuff. (If you don't believe Japan does some really weird things, go look it up. Japan does _weird _things.)**

**To Cyborg, Yang's Semblance, or at least my interpretation of it, is not defensive in nature. It does nothing to make her any tougher. What it does do is boost her strength based on the damage she's taken. The rough mathematical formula I use for this is if Yang at full Aura is strength of 1, then her strength when damaged is 1/whatever fraction of her Aura is left. In theory, this means her strength is pretty much infinite at zero Aura, although in reality there is an upper limit. However, that upper limit is pretty high. In this case, Yang's last strike before passing out from her wounds hit with the force of five or six tons of dynamite, utterly obliterating the Behemoth. For reference, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever created by the US (Russia supposedly has a bigger bomb, but hard information on said device is scarce) has a blast yield of eleven tons of dynamite. The things you learn while writing fan fiction...**

**Oh, and the machine guns have always been there. Molnair and Talon each have a pair of built-in machine guns, giving Kevin a total of four. Each one can be fired independently in both semi-automatic and fully-automatic modes, with a maximum firing rate of two hundred rounds per minute each. They use small caliber Dust rounds that are fed by a belt system from the magazines contained in the upper arms of the weapons. However, because Kevin prefers melee combat, they don't see that much use.**

**To the anonymous guest, that is a question best left for another story. **

**And now, a brief explanation of what happened with Team CFVY, and why Coco is teaching instead of killing Grimm. CFVY spent some time as an elite Hunter team, during which time Fox and Coco got married and Velvet and Yatsuhashi got engaged. Three years ago, Coco and Fox decided to have children, so they retired from active Hunter duty. While Coco teaches at Beacon, Fox is a stay-at-home dad, keeping track of their rambunctious two year old son Miles. (Anyone who gets that reference gets a cookie. Unless Ruby eats them all. Again.) Meanwhile, Velvet and Yatsuhashi are still active hunters and have been engaged for the last six years. Various people have tried to get them to set a date for their wedding, but they seem to be in no hurry to do so. They will be making a brief appearance or two later this semester.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	27. Break's End: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Welcome back!" I said as Lily and Rebecca made their way off the air bus.

"Hey Kevin!" Rebecca said. She was in a strangely good mood.

"Hey," Lily said, dragging her suitcase. Despite being the smallest member of the team, she easily had the most luggage.

"I'll get that," David said, walking over to help. He grabbed the suitcase and tucked it under his arm like an umbrella. He started off towards the dorm with his partner trailing behind him.

"So, how did your break go?" I asked.

"It was very good," Rebecca said.

"You told your family about what happened last semester?"

"Yeah."

"And how did that go?"

"A lot better than I thought it would," she said, giving me a smile. "My parents were very happy about it, actually."

"Well they don't have to watch you try to be your sister anymore."

"...Yeah. I never realized how much I was worrying them."

"So they're happy with the situation?"

"Yes. In fact, they'd like to meet you, maybe over the Summer break."

"Uh, sure, sounds good," I said nervously. I'm not exactly good with people even under normal circumstances, but my partner's parents? A part of my mind was already going over the million and one ways that could turn awkward.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." She gave me a quick look. "What's- hey, you're growing a beard?"

I blinked. "What? Oh, no, I just forgot to shave this morning. I'll go...deal with that."

"No, don't. I like it."

I blinked again. "Rebecca, the last time I tried for a beard my face ended up looking like a half-dead lawn."

"When was that?"

"Um, two years ago I think. Yeah, that sounds right. I gave up the experiment a bit before I turned eighteen."

"And you expected your first beard to look good?"

"...kind of?"

"The first beard never looks good."

"And you know this how?" I asked.

"An older brother and five older cousins."

"Well maybe that's your family's thing."

"I don't think so. Why don't you give it another try." She gave me a pleading look.

"Since when can you do the puppy dog eyes?" I asked. She kept up the look. "Fine! I surrender! But using the eyes is so not fair!"

"Only because you're losing," Rebecca replied with a smile. "So, are we heading to the dorm or not?"

"Sure," I said. "But you're carrying your own suitcase."

"I was planning on it anyways," she said with a little giggle before starting off.

I stared after her for a moment. Break had done wonders for her. She was almost unrecognizable, but in a good way. Hopefully now she could settle into her own identity. I started on down the path to the dorm, following the bright red hair of my partner.

* * *

><p>"So Kevin, what did you get up to over the break?" Rebecca asked as she and Lily unpacked.<p>

"Well, let's see," I said. "Well, there was my trip to White Fox Research. I don't think I've told you girls about them yet, but they're actually the ones paying for my tuition and living expenses. In exchange they get to study me and my Semblance. Anyways, the trip there went well, apparently I'm in the peak of health and to make it even better, my Aura is growing pretty fast."

"Maybe someday you'll be strong enough to actually beat me," Rebecca said. It was no secret. One on one, Rebecca was the strongest member of the team.

"Maybe," I said, chuckling. "So that went well. In other good news, I got a lot of work done on the Paladin. I think I'm finally getting a feel for how it works, and I think I'm going to try making some modifications to it."

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Well for starters I'm going to rip out the missile launchers. The missiles in them are just dummy rounds and I don't see any need to try and acquire real ones."

"Dummy rounds?" David asked.

"Yeah, fake missiles. My guess is that the White Fang used them at some point but couldn't find replacements, so they made fake missiles and stuck them in there in the hopes that it would help with intimidation. In any case, the launchers are useless as anything but raw materials."

"Raw materials for what?" Lily asked.

"I have a few ideas, but I'll need to do some tests before I can say any more. Even if it does work though, rewiring that thing is going to be nightmare."

"What else did you do?" Rebecca asked.

"Well in my copious free time," This got a chuckle from the entire team. They think I'm a workaholic. I think the world just needs to stop giving me so much to do. "I did a few odd jobs around Vale. It's kind of remarkable how many delivery jobs there are in one city, but hey, I'm not complaining. Anyways, I did a few jobs and there was a new soundtrack out so I decided to splurge a bit."

"Oh, what did you pick up?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, a whole bunch of stuff actually. Enough that I finally got around to setting up personalized ringtones on my scroll for various people."

"What did you set for me?" Lily asked.

"Well I'm keeping my main ringtone as This Will Be the Day. Lily, you're currently set as Time to Say Goodbye, mostly because I like it and couldn't find anything that actually fit for you." She scowled at me slightly. "Rebecca got the acoustic version of This Will Be the Day, and David got the, um, Magical Girl remix, because it sounds like a dance track."

David looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "A dance track?"

"Hey, I've seen you dance big guy. It fits. Even if the title makes me laugh."

"The title?" Lily asked.

"Magical Girl has a somewhat specific meaning in my world."

"Please not another anime thing!" Lily wailed.

"I'm 'fraid so."

"Why is everything anime related with you?"

"Not my fault this world behaves like an anime world. Anyways, I also picked out ringtones for a few other people. Weiss got a lovely little number called Die, the opening of which pretty thoroughly captures my feelings about her calling me for pretty much any reason, and for Ruby-" My scroll decide to go off in my pocket right then and there.

_Dream of anything;  
><em>_I'll make it all come true._

"That her?" David asked.

"Yeah," I said, trying to dig my scroll out of my pocket.

"Gold?" Lily asked.

"...It was less embarrassing when no one was around to hear it." My scroll did not want to come out of my pocket for some reason.

"It's so sweet though," Rebecca said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. That settles it, I'm changing that ringtone." I finally managed to pull the scroll out and answer it.

"Hey Ruby, what's up?"

"Hey Kevin! I like your new ringtone! I just wanted to let you know that Yang's doing better and is out of the, um..."

"The ICU?"

"Yeah, that's it! Anyways, she's in a regular hospital room now so we can visit her. You should come by!"

"Yeah, I'll be there. Thanks, Ruby." I hung up. Then I noticed Lily and Rebecca staring at me.

"The ICU?" Lily demanded. "As in, the hospital?"

"Yes, as in the hospital. It's Yang. She got hurt pretty bad in a fight with some Grimm."

"And you didn't tell us this because..."

"I was getting to that! Anyways, I need to go. Unless you guys want to come with me, I'll-"

"We'll come," Rebecca said, immediately ending all possibility of debate. She was a majority of one.

* * *

><p>A quick teleport into Vale and a short walk later and we were at the hospital. I walked in with my team trailing behind.<p>

"Hi, my name is Kevin Malder," I said to the receptionist. "I'm here to see a Yang Xiao Long, I'm a friend of both her and her sister."

"Just a moment," she said, picking up a phone and entered what I guessed to be the code for Yang's room. "There's someone else here to see her," she said into the phone. "A Mr. Kevin Malder. Yes. Yes. Okay." She turned back to me. "You can go up." She pulled out a key card and handed it to me. "Room 237."

"Thanks," I said before turning to my team. "Can you guys wait here? I'll be back soon."

"We'll be fine," David said. "Go on."

"Thanks. Be back soon." I made my way over to the elevator. Yangs room was on the second floor, so the ride was fairly short. I stepped out and turned left, checking the numbers on the doors. 253, 248, 242, 235, wait, too far, 237. I put the key card in the slot and the door opened to reveal Yang in a hospital bed and the rest of Team RWBY gathered around her.

"Hey Kevin," Yang said from her bed. "'bout time you got here."

"Hey, I moved as fast as I could. How are you?"

"Oh, you know me, still Yanging in there." There was a brief pause, then everyone else in the room groaned in unison.

"I think she's feeling better," Blake said in a dry voice.

"Too much better," Weiss grumbled.

"Ruby, do you have any pictures of Yang hanging from a tree branch or something?" I asked.

"Uh, maybe, why?"

"I want to make a 'Yang in there' motivational poster for her."

"Don't encourage her!" Weiss said.

"Too late!" Yang said in a cheery voice. "By the way, thanks for the card Kevin. It was stupundous."

I groaned again. "You could at least wait until you're fully recovered before you start trying to inspire people to kill you."

"Aw, you guys love me!" Yang said.

"Yes, but I'm not always sure that's a good thing," Blake said.

"So, how long until you're back on your feet?" I asked.

"The docs say I'll be able to leave in a few more weeks, once my legs heal a bit more," Yang replied. "Maybe three months before I can go back to fighting Grimm."

"What are the rest of you going to do while Yang's out?" I asked.

"Weiss and I can keep taking missions," Ruby said.

"I'm going to spend some time working with the Faunus Rights Coalition," Blake said.

"I can expect to see you on the news at some point," I said.

"Probably."

"Right." I turned back to Yang. "It's good to see you're getting better. I have to get back to my team, but I'll try to visit when I can."

"Hey, don't worry about it! Tell your girlfriend I said hello!"

"She's not my girlfriend Yang. She's my partner."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I bet she's already invited you to meet her parents!"

"No she- well, she did, but it's not- I'm not- Yang Xiao Long, you are a terrible person."

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Yang, it's not like that." I shook my head. "I'll see you later." I opened the door and stepped out.

* * *

><p>"How did it go?" Rebecca asked as I stepped back into the lobby.<p>

"Good. She's getting better. At the very least she's feeling well enough to make puns and tease me."

"So, what else happened over break that you're not telling us about?" she asked.

I blinked. "Why do you think there's something else?"

"Kevin, you're trying to avoid something," Lily said. "Otherwise you would have told us about Yang long before you started talking about ringtones."

"...You're right, and it's not good, but I'd rather tell you back at the dorm. I promise I'll tell you everything, but this is the wrong place to do it."

* * *

><p>"You beat Conrad in a duel?" Rebecca asked. "Why were you trying to avoid this? It doesn't even sound like a problem."<p>

"The creep had it coming if you ask me," Lily said.

"The issue isn't what I did," I replied. "It's why I did it. I was...not angry exactly. I just...lost control. I lost track of the things that keep me human."

"I don't understand," Rebecca said. "What do you mean, 'the things that keep you human'?"

"Rebecca, under the personality I show to the world, under the real me that's beneath that, there's something else. Something that's more monster than human. I keep that part of me locked away as best I can, but if I'm put under enough stress, that control can slip. That's why I challenged Conrad. The monster in me demanded violence and I was too weak to tell it no."

"You stopped before you actually hurt him," Rebecca said. "You're not weak."

"I am. I shouldn't have challenged him at all, and I certainly shouldn't have threatened him the way I did," I said. "It was...irresponsible of me."

"And we all know how you are about responsibility," Lily said.

"This is the reason I'm like that," I snapped. "Without it, I'm dangerous."

"You're pretty dangerous with it too," Rebecca said, putting her hand on my arm. "But that's not always a bad thing."

"Thanks," I said. "But that wasn't what I meant."

"I know, but it's what I meant."

"I don't think it works that way."

"Maybe not. I don't care though."

"Obviously. Thanks for understanding." I glanced around. "So, who's ready for classes tomorrow?"

**A/N: I think I almost broke the fourth wall when Kevin was talking about magical girls. Anyways, Yang's doing better, Rebecca's doing better, and the second semester is about to start for real. This should be fun.**

**To Fourze, I wouldn't recommend it. I saw it a few years ago, and it made _no_ sense. But maybe you'll get more out of it than I did.**

**To Cyborg, I always knew Kevin would be bilingual because it fits his character rather well, and German was the natural choice for a couple reasons. One, I speak German, although I wouldn't call myself fluent. The translation in the last chapter was all me, no online translator, no dictionary, just me. Two, this gives Kevin another way to mess with Weiss, which was too good to pass up.**

**To the anonymous guest, I cannot comment on the motives of White Fox. I can, however, go over why he's unique, despite both Neo and Raven being able to teleport as well. ****Each of these three characters can teleport, but they do it in different ways. **

**Neo is a functional teleporter instead of an actual teleporter. She actually travels through the intervening space, albeit as rays of light. This is why she can leave behind illusions. Her abilities are affected by distance, and she has a hard time taking someone with her, but she has no problems with accuracy and she doesn't have to know where she's going. However, it takes her about a second to 'power up' her ability, making it useless in combat for anything but entrances and exits.**

**Raven (the woman who save Yang from Neo) is an actual teleporter, although calling her a teleporter is stretching it. She can open what amounts to a wormhole. The advantages of this are that she doesn't actually have to go herself, and it's quite easy to send multiple people through. The downsides are that it has a limited range, requires a physical motion to use, and it requires an exact knowledge of the destination. Again, useless in combat save for entrances and exits.**

**Kevin is an actual teleporter who hopscotches through dimensions. The primary advantages are the unlimited range, the speed with which he can use his Semblance, and the ability to fine-tune the teleportation field for stunts like the one with the Paladin. The downsides are the accuracy problem, although that's more because of Kevin's inexperience than something inherent to the Semblance, and the fact that he has to know exactly where he's going. Unlike the first two, his Semblance is actually useful in combat, although his accuracy problems still limit its effectiveness.  
><strong>

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	28. Back in Action

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Alright class, today we're doing a demonstration," Professor Coco said, standing in front of the class. Off to one side of the teaching area was a cage with a familiar Boarbatusk inside.

Rebecca still had a strong lingering fear of Grimm, but she was getting much better at controlling it. In the first session after break, she'd managed to keep her composure for a full five minutes with her hand on the cage. Now, three weeks later, and we were reaching the point where we got bored long before she lost control. After yesterday's practice session I approached both Rebecca and Coco with the idea of having Rebecca try fighting the Boarbatusk (which I had eventually nicknamed Barbie) next time. Both Coco and Rebecca had been receptive to the idea, although Rebecca had been hesitant, but now it looked like Coco had other plans for Barbie.

I frowned. Coco might be flamboyant, bombastic, and extremely stylish, but she was also sneaky. She was up to something, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Today, one of you will get a chance to demonstrate what you've learned about the Grimm in this class." Coco glanced around as if looking for volunteers. Or a victim. It was hard to tell with Coco. "Miss Charlotte, let's see what you can do."

"Me?" Rebecca asked nervously.

"Yes, you. Come on down here, we don't have all day."

_Dammit__ Coco! _I thought. _I should have known you'd pull something like this! _I could only hope Rebecca would hold up against the Grimm. Beyond that, all I could do was watch.

Rebecca stepped down into the arena-like teaching area, standing on the opposite side from Barbie's cage. Nervously, she armed her wrist dart guns and settled into a fighting stance. Coco brought down her purse on the bolt holding the cage closed, and Barbie burst from its prison. It took a brief look around, then charged at Rebecca. Rebecca started to move out of the way, but she was trembling ever so slightly, which slowed her down just enough for the thing to catch her and throw her to the ground.

"You can do this!" I shouted. "You can win!" She glanced at me briefly, then back at the monster. It was snarling at her, scrapping the ground with a hoof. Rebecca raised her hand and a dozen false images appeared while the real Rebecca became invisible, confusing the beast. Barbie glared at them, then picked one and attacked, rolling into the characteristic spinning attack of a Boarbatusk.

Unfortunately for it, it chose wrong. Rebecca's illusions vanished as she shed her invisibility and delivered a flying two-footed kick to the side of the beast, throwing it off course and into a wall. I caught a brief glimpse of her face as she landed. Her eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and determination, her face set in a look of concentration. She spun on her heel to face the creature.

Barbie picked itself up off the ground, running at Rebecca again. Instead of trying to dodge, she grabbed it by the tusks, turning its momentum against it as she flipped it onto its back with a quick spin. Barbie skidded across the floor, its feet waving uselessly. Before it could recover, Rebecca was on it. She wrapped her legs around one of Barbie's tusks, then, with a sound like a rock breaking, she snapped it off. Barbie squealed in pain, spinning back onto its feet as Rebecca bounced away from it, scooping up the tusk in the process.

Now off balance and in pain, it charged at Rebecca again. She danced to the left and kicked it in the head, throwing it onto its side. Before it could get back to its feet, Rebecca dashed in and stabbed it in the stomach with its own tusk. She pulled upwards, gutting Barbie like a fish.

"Well done, Miss Charlotte," Coco said. "You will make a fine Huntress one day."

Rebecca dropped the tusk onto Barbie's rapidly dissolving corpse and slowly made her way back to her seat beside me. Her face was pale, but she wore a smile and her eyes glowed with pride.

"Nice job," I said. "You've come a long way from Forever Fall."

"Thanks," she said, dropping back into her seat with a thump. "That was the scariest thing I've ever done."

"But you did it," I said. "What did I tell you about being stronger than your fears?"

"Thanks for helping me with this," Rebecca said.

"Don't thank me. Professor Coco was the one with the Boarbatusk."

"Mister Malder, Miss Charlotte, if you have something to say then you can share it with the class," Coco said. "Otherwise, the two of you will stay after class. Well?"

We didn't answer.

"After class it is." She turned to the rest of the class. "Now, who would like to explain what Miss Charlotte did wrong in that fight, and what we can learn from her technique?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the class filed out, leaving Rebecca, myself and Coco in the classroom. She finished erasing the notes from her lecture from the board before turning back to us. "Congratulations, Miss Charlotte. I wasn't sure if you could ever become a Huntress, but you have proven me pleasantly wrong."<p>

"So we're not actually in trouble?" I asked.

"No, I was just looking for an excuse to keep the two of you here."

"Right," I said. "Professor, I hope you don't mind my saying so, but you are frighteningly devious."

"I do try," she said, grinning. "I think our sessions will no longer be necessary."

"No, I think I've gotten over this," Rebecca said.

"Good, because I'm fresh out of Boarbatusks," Coco said. "I'm surprised you didn't shoot it though."

"No, I- I wanted to prove that I could fight back in any situation. Before, I was so afraid of them that I felt helpless," Rebecca said, swallowing slightly. "I never want to feel helpless again."

"I think you've got that covered," Coco said. "Nice trick by the way, gutting it with its own tusk. Now get out of here, I have work to do."

"Thanks again, Professor," I said.

* * *

><p>"Ding dong, Barbie's dead!" I said with a laugh as we headed over to the arena for our usual training session. Without the Grimm practice, we now had extra time for actual practice. We were already the best team in our year, but I didn't see any reason we had to settle for that. This semester, we would try for the title of best team in the first two years. "I'm really proud of you Rebecca."<p>

"Thanks, but now you're just being silly. What was that from anyways?" Rebecca asked, pushing open the door to the arena.

"The song? It's from a really old movie that was based on a book," I said as we entered the room.

"Well at least it wasn't from anime," Lily said. "What did Coco want from you two?"

"Nothing much, she just wanted to congratulate Rebecca on her success today."

"It was impressive," David said.

"Thanks." Rebecca blushed slightly.

"So, who's up for training?" I asked. "Rebecca, would you do the honors?"

She grinned as we both disarmed and then dropped into fighting stances.

* * *

><p>"So, I think we've been doing pretty well for ourselves lately," I said as we walked out of the arena and headed back towards the dorm. "The weekend's coming up soon, let's take a day off as a team."<p>

"Sounds good," Rebecca said. "Last time was fun."

"Last time involved an Atlesian Paladin," Lily replied. "I'd rather not run into one of those again."

"Yeah, we don't have a place to put another one," I said. "I don't think the White Fang have any more of them though."

"Which is a good thing," Lily said firmly.

"Which means they'll bring a gunship to the party instead," I said, deadpan.

"...I hate you sometimes."

"You've said that. Multiple times in fact. I have yet to see any evidence of it."

"You're really annoying at times, you know that?"

"Yes, but it's too much fun to pass up," I said as we left the main building and stepped outside. "You're so entertaining when you're worked- GAH!" I yelled. A man in a bizarre outfit had burst out of nowhere and grabbed me.

"You must listen to me! The great Monty has come! He will remake the world in his own glorious image! Believe, and ye shall be spared!"

"Get off me!" I said, pushing the guy away. "Monty? Who the heck is Monty? Look, we're busy! How did you even get onto the campus anyways?"

"By lord Oum's power! I am his emissary!"

"Great. Now leave us the hell alone," I turned to my team. "Let's skip this basket case. Who wants a free ride to the dorm?" They gathered together and I put my hand on David's shoulder.

"Embrace the will of Monty before it is too late! Your souls are-" That was the last I heard as I teleported my team directly into our dorm.

* * *

><p>"So does somebody want to explain what the heck just happened?" I said. "What was that guy?"<p>

"He's a Montyist, they think Monty Oum is god," Lily said. "He's not."

"You're going to have to back up a step and explain who Monty Oum is."

"Monty Oum is a very powerful person who visits Remnant from time to time," Lily said. "He's either immortal or capable of traveling through time, as he's shown up all over history."

"What does he do?" I asked.

"For the most part, he asks questions," Lily said. "If he finds you interesting, he'll visit you and ask for you to tell him your life story. According to the legends, he needs them for a project of his."

"You said he visits Remnant?" I asked. This could be huge. This could be my ticket home.

"Yeah, just about everyone agrees he's not from Remnant. No one knows where he's really from, but it's not Remnant."

"How often does he show up?" I asked.

Lily laughed. "He's not that predictable. He shows up randomly and then disappears again. Unless you attract his attention it's doubtful you'll ever even see him."

"So why do the Montyists think he's god?" I asked.

"You'd have to ask them, but he is powerful enough to perform what amounts to miracles when he decides to intervene. However, he doesn't do that sort of thing very often, maybe once every five or ten centuries. There is a theory going around that says he created Remnant, although there's no proof of this."

"So let me get this straight. He's immortal, he can perform miracles, and there's a possibility that he created Remnant."

"Yes."

"And he's not god."

"No."

"He certainly sounds like a god."

"Well he's not." Lily was getting agitated.

"Okay, touchy subject. Do you think he could get me home?"

"Maybe, although I don't know if his powers extend to other worlds, but only if he thinks it's worth his time. And if he knows about you."

"So he's not omniscient."

"Obviously. Otherwise he wouldn't be asking people for their stories."

"Can we go back to planning our day off?" Rebecca asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," I said.

**A/N: Theology in a fictional world. Fun. Not all Montyists are like that, but there are fanatics in any religion. Like the ones who decide to harass the students in a school for super soldiers. (Not a smart move.)**

**To Fourze, Rule of Funny for the sake of embarrassing Kevin. Don't think about it too hard.**

**To the anonymous guest, naïve, no. Self-centered, maybe. He's definitely worried about his lack of control. Conrad wasn't the first time he's had problems with it. As for why Kevin is having so much fun with the mech, it gives him something to do, expands the setting of the story, and will eventually become plot relevant. Eventually.**


	29. Mrow?

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"I'm still not sure I like this part of the plan for today," I said as we got off the air bus in Vale.

"That's why this is Lily's part of the plan," Rebecca said.

"I know. But if she buys a Weiss plushie, I will burn it." We were headed for one of Vale's larger malls so Lily could do some shopping. David was dragged into this as her partner while Rebecca and I were just tagging along.

"They make Weiss plushies?" David asked.

"Yes. Ruby has one, which Weiss pretends to be annoyed by, and Yang has one, which Weiss is actually annoyed by," I said.

"I'm not buying any plushies!" Lily said. "I need more Dust for Echino, and I thought I could do with a new outfit."

"Lily, you dress like Weiss," I said. "Your outfits are always the same!"

"They are not!"

"They kind of are," I said. "The only things I've seen you wear are copies of Weiss's outfits and the school uniform."

"He has a point," David said, cutting off Lily's retort.

We entered the parking area of the mall and Lily started towards the Dust shop. I glanced around, checking out the other stores. There were some parts I needed for the modifications to the Green Knight, and there was store selling car parts here. "Hey, Lily, there's something I want to pick up, I'll meet back with you later, okay?"

"Oh, sure!" Lily replied.

"I'll go with him," Rebecca said. David gave us both a betrayed look as we abandoned him to Lily's tender mercies.

* * *

><p>"So did you actually need to pick something up or were you just trying to get out of shopping with Lily?" Rebecca asked as we stepped through the door of the car shop.<p>

"A bit of both. I could pick these things up myself at a later date, but I figured that I could use it as an excuse to avoid dealing with a fashion obsessed fangirl," I shrugged. "So it's a win-win."

A man in a red uniform with a black apron appeared from behind some shelves. "Hey there, welcome to Rick's Auto Shop, are you and your girlfriend looking for something specific?"

"Ah, she's not my girlfriend," I said. "We're students at Beacon Academy and she's my partner."

"Students, huh?" He looked at us. "Why do you need car parts?"

"That's a long story that I don't feel like explaining right now," I said. "I just need a few springs, some precision ball bearings, and maybe some oil."

"Alright, sounds good, didn't mean to be nosy, feel free to look around."

"Thanks," I said. "c'mon Rebecca, let's get started." I headed of into the aisles with Rebecca following me.

"Why do you need to buy these things?" Rebecca asked. "Beacon has materials to make things like this."

"Not of the size I need," I said, pulling out a part. "That, and I need a level of precision that I can't quite reach."

"And you think this store has what you need?"

"Definitely the larger things. I may have to order some of the smaller, more delicate pieces I need."

I quickly made my way around the store. I found most of the things I needed, and we made our way to the cash register. Fortunately I had money for once, thanks to the jobs I'd done over the break. You can earn quite a bit for instantaneous delivery.

We stepped back out into the parking lot. "Be right back," I said. "I just want to take this stuff back to Beacon." I activated my Semblance and vanished, reappearing at the school. I hurried over to the hanger where I'd been working on the Green Knight. I quickly put the parts into a crate, then returned to the mall with my Semblance.

"So, Lily and David still shopping?" I asked.

Rebecca jumped, startled. "Kevin! I didn't realize you were back!"

"Oh, sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I guess I did appear behind you. So, Lily and David still in the store?"

"Yeah."

I looked back. Opposite the mall was a small park, although calling it a park was stretching it. It was really just a pond with some grass around it and a couple trees.

"You want to wait over there?" I asked, pointing at the bench by the pond.

"Sure," she said. We made our way over and sat down to wait. "So..." she said.

"So...yeah," I said. Yeah, real smooth.

"Um..."

"Um?"

"Oh, nothing," Rebecca said. "So, I heard your birthday's coming up soon."

"How did you-? David? How did he-? Ozpin? No, maybe..."

"I don't know how he found out," Rebecca said. "But it is soon, right?"

"Yeah, March twelfth. It's in a few weeks. So?"

"So, are you going to do anything for it?"

"I don't know. I haven't really done anything about it for the last three years. It's just not the same without..."

"I can understand that," Rebecca said.

"Ruby'll probably send a card and a present. Weiss'll send a card too, but only because it makes Ruby happy." I gave a soft laugh. "That's kind of the only reason Weiss and I are ever nice to each other actually. We both want Ruby to be happy. Yang might send me a card too, but that's about it."

"That's..."

"Depressing?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"It's okay. It's not my first birthday alone. Hopefully it'll be my last, but I'm starting to doubt it."

"So you don't want to do anything?"

"I don't know. Not really. I can't really think of anything."

"Huh." Rebecca looked at the ground. "You remember that weird guy from a couple days ago?"

"The crazy Montyist? Yeah, that was weird. Of course, my world has people like that too."

"What do you think about the Montyists?"

"Well, that guy was a nut, but I doubt he's typical. I expect it's just like any other religion. Why?"

"Well..."

"You're a Montyist?" I guessed.

"Yeah."

"Okay then," I shrugged. "And your point is?"

"You...don't have a problem with this?"

"Nope. I don't really see where it's my business. You believe Monty Oum is god. I don't, if only because I don't really believe in much of anything. If you don't have a problem with this, I don't have a problem with this."

"Oh. Good. Thanks."

"No problem. You might want to avoid getting into that argument with Lily though."

"Probably a good idea."

"Mrow!" a tiny voice came from beneath us.

"What?" I blinked, then looked under the bench. A tiny scrap of fur that looked like it was supposed to be orange was huddled under the bench.

"It's a cat," Rebecca said, pointing out the obvious.

"It's a kitten," I corrected, reaching in and picking up the tiny ball of fur. The kitten looked at me with eyes that said 'whatever you're going to do to me, just get it over with.'

"He doesn't look so good," Rebecca said.

"He looks like he's been through hell." I quickly examined the kitten and found several scratches, some of which were bleeding. His fur was matted in places and he was very thin. "The fact that he's not even squirming isn't a good sign," I said. "I don't think he'll make it if we leave him here."

"Hey guys, what's- oh." Lily and David had come out of the mall. Lily looked at the scrap of fur in my hands. "A kitten?"

"Yeah, he was hiding under the bench," I said.

"We should take him to a vet," David said.

"Yeah." I put the unresisting kitten in my lap and pulled out my scroll. I did a quick search and found a nearby vet's office attached to an animal shelter. I put the scroll away and scooped up the kitten. "Looks like our plans for today just changed," I said, starting in the direction of the shelter. "Let's go guys."

* * *

><p>"So you can't take him?" I asked.<p>

"No," the woman from the shelter said with a sigh. "I wish we could, but we're already overcrowded. We'd have to put him with another cat, and given the state he's in..." She shook her head. "We can give him a checkup, some basic medical procedures, and a bath, but we can't give him a home."

"Ma'am, I don't think we can give him one either." I glanced around at my team. "We're students at Beacon, and we don't really have room for a cat."

"We'll try to make some space for him, but for now, we just can't take him in," the woman said. "I can let you know if something changes, but I can't make any guarantees."

I glanced back at my team. "I understand," I said. "If you can give him that checkup, and maybe that bath, I guess we can keep him for a few days. At least until we can find a more permanent home for him."

"He's old enough to feed himself, so I can give you a week's worth of kitten food, but that's really all we can do."

"Thank you," I said

"It's a good thing you found him when you did," the woman said. "If you hadn't he'd probably be dead."

"Just paying it forward Ma'am." She looked at me funny but I didn't stop to explain. "How long do you think it'll take for the vet to finish with him?"

"Well we made him a priority case, so the doc should see him soon. Would you like us to call you when he's finished?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I gave her the number for my scroll. "I'll see if I can find someone who can look after him."

* * *

><p>"So you can't take him in either?" I asked. I was on the phone with Ruby. She has a soft spot for animals, rescue cases (such as myself), and of course Weiss.<p>

"I wish I could, he sounds adorable, but I'm always traveling and I can't take him with me on missions," Ruby said. "Maybe Ozpin can help."

"Ozpin? Why would Ozpin get involved in this?"

"I don't know, but he always gives great advice!"

"Alright, thanks. Talk to you later Ruby." I hung up. "No go on giving him to Ruby," I said to the team. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

"My dad's extremely allergic to cats," David said.

"My family has hamsters," Lily said. "I don't think a cat will go over too well."

"My parents might be able to take him in," Rebecca said. "But not any time soon. There's a lot going on back home and I don't think they have time for a pet right now."

"Well we'll keep looking," I said. "Maybe we'll find an answer."

* * *

><p>"Alright, he's ready to go." The woman handed me a small traveling cage with the kitten inside it. She also handed me a bag of kitten food and various instructions on caring for the kitten. I'd had cats before, but not since I ended up in Remnant, and I'd never had a kitten this badly beat up before.<p>

"Thanks. We'll keep trying to find him a permanent home," I said. "Hopefully we can keep him until then."

"No, thank you for saving him," the woman said. "I'm just sorry we couldn't take him in."

"Alright, then, time to head back to Beacon," I said to the team. "I'm going to have to talk to Ozpin about this. Hopefully we can sort something out."

**A/N: Kitten! Why? Because it amused me! **

**To Cyborg, yes, Rebecca's parents tried therapists, but there's only so much a therapist can do if the patient isn't feeling cooperative. Also, I did not come up with the "Yang in There" pun, that came from a demotivational poster I found online.**

**Regarding the thing with Monty being maybe god, that was planned, although I decided to move it up a bit from when it was originally supposed to happen. It is important, but not for the reasons you might think. And it was supposed to be jarring. It was jarring for Kevin and he's the one telling the story. I will however note that I have never met Monty and have no plans to do so. (I have neither the time nor the money nor the means to travel to Texas or a convention just to meet an animator.) This being the case, I have no intention of trying to actually write him as a character, so he will not make a personal appearance. **

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	30. Mrow!

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I stood in the elevator to Ozpin's office, the kitten sitting in his little cat carrier on the floor.

"Mrow?" he inquired.

"For the last time, you can not stay here. It doesn't matter how cute you are, we just don't have room for you." I'd been having this argument with the kitten ever since we'd gotten back to Beacon. I wasn't sure I was winning.

"Mrow."

"Yes, I know I don't have anywhere else for you to stay, but I don't even know if we're allowed to have pets. Besides, we still don't have room for you."

"Mrow!"

"Yes I'm sure!" I said. "And now I'm talking to a cat! A cat that I don't even own!" I turned to stare at the kitten through the top of the carrier. "This is your fault."

"Mrow."

I sighed. It's hard to win an argument with a cat, and don't even try with a kitten. I glanced up at the light. Almost to the top. I picked up the carrier again. "Alright, you're going to be a good kitten, not cause any trouble, and hopefully Ozpin can find you a permanent home. Got it?"

"Mrow."

I sighed again. "Well at least you're clean now." I shook my head and the door opened, revealing Ozpin sitting at his desk while Prof- Doctor Oobleck...paced is the wrong word given how animated his motion was, but it's the closest I can think of. Anyways, Oobleck was pacing back and forth, gesticulating wildly and ranting.

"-utter catastrophe! We must do something at-" Oobleck paused in his spiel as he caught sight of me.

"Mrow!" the kitten exclaimed.

"Quiet," I hissed at it.

"Mr. Malder," Oobleck started. "You come to visit the headmaster, interrupting my meeting with him regarding a sanitation problem my office is suffering from, and you've brought...a cat."

_Crap. I am in so much trouble right now._ I thought to myself. _Maybe I should just-_

"Genius!" My train of thought came to a crashing halt. What? How? I- What? "Felines are historically known for their instinctual ability to exterminate a rodent population!"

"What?" I asked.

"Doctor Oobleck's office has been invaded by mice," Ozpin said.

"Mice. Right. Of course." This was starting to seem like someone's idea of a bad joke. "Um, so, I, uh, found this kitten out in Vale today. He was hiding under a bench and was in bad shape. We, my team and I, took him to an animal shelter to get looked at. They cleaned him and treated him, but he needs a home."

"And you were coming to me for advice on this?" Ozpin asked.

"Well I tried everything else I could think of, but I couldn't find anything. So I thought maybe you could help." I glanced at Oobleck. "It does seem that there is a demand for a furry exterminator."

"May I see the kitten?" Ozpin asked. I carefully placed the carrier on Ozpin's desk.

"Mrow!" The kitten said. Apparently it was tired of the cage, because it decided to walk through the bars the moment I put the carrier on the desk. Right through them. Great. The cat had a Semblance. My life was complete. The kitten walked across the desk to face Ozpin. "Mrow?"

"Hello," Ozpin said formally, greeting the kitten as if it were a student. "Welcome to my school."

"Mrow."

"Doctor Oobleck, I believe we have found the solution to your rodent problem."

"Brilliant!" Oobleck exclaimed.

"Well, if that's it, I'll... give you everything the shelter gave me and return to my team."

"Does this kitten have a name?" Ozpin asked.

"Uh, no, I didn't give him one."

"Then you must rectify this at once!" Oobleck stated.

"Um, but I'm not the one who's keeping him."

"You are the one who found him, and no doubt rescued him," Ozpin said. "It is only reasonable that you name him too."

"Uh..." I desperately searched for a name that wouldn't seem trite or foolish. I glanced at Oobleck, then at Ozpin. _What will Professor Goodwitch think_ _of- _"Toto." I said, the name just popping into my head. "His name is Toto."

"Excellent," Ozpin said. "You should rejoin your team. I am certain they will wish to hear of Toto's new home."_  
><em>

"Right. Thank you Professor Ozpin, Doctor Oobleck." I got back in the elevator and headed down. "Toto? Really, Kevin? Was that the best you could come up with?" I asked myself. "Well at least he'll fit the theme," I muttered.

* * *

><p>I unlocked the door to the dorm with my scroll, then opened it.<p>

"Where's the kitten?" Lily asked as I entered, conspicuously short a cat carrier.

"With Doctor Oobleck," I said. "Apparently he's having a rodent problem. So he's going to adopt the kitten. Who is now named Toto."

"Toto?" David asked.

"It was all I could think of when they put me on the spot. In any case, that's one problem solved."

* * *

><p>Indeed it was. Toto rapidly became a fixture at Beacon. He spent the majority of his time in Oobleck's office, hunting the mice there, but he could also be found in locations all over Beacon. He decided to attend one of Oobleck's classes, quietly napping on the Doctor's desk. Another time he casually strolled into Coco's class, right through the closed door mind you, which immediately brought the lecture to a halt as Coco tried to resist his overpowering cuteness. Like all the others, she was doomed to failure. Even Professor Goodwitch was not immune to his charms. A particularly memorable class occurred when Toto decided to follow her around the classroom while she taught. It was amusing to see her try to conduct the class while carefully avoiding the ball of fur attempting to play with her shoes.<p>

Even most of the students got along with Toto. Miranda and Toto hit it off quite well, which I chalked up to both of them having mischievous senses of humor and identical Semblances. Nyx got along with him fairly well too, but not until after she'd made it clear that she was the dominant one.

His favorite dorm though was the MRLD dorm.

* * *

><p>"Kevin, how are you concentrating like that?" Rebecca asked.<p>

"Quite easily," I replied. I was lying on my bead with my head sticking off the edge so I could read the book I had on the floor. "It's comfortable."

"With Toto on your back?" Oh, yeah, Toto had decided to take a nap between my shoulders. I'd almost forgotten he was there.

"Yep. Reminds me of home."

"Having a cat on your back reminds you of home?" Lily asked. She and David were comparing notes from math class.

"Yep. I had two cats back home." I turned the page of my book. "One of them looked a lot like Toto, although he was older."

"What was his name?" David asked.

"Evan. Or Fuzzy when we felt like being silly. He was an orange short hair like Toto, so of course he was fuzzy. He was the cute one."

"And the other one?" Rebecca asked.

"Linus. Long haired cat. Black fur with a white belly and paws. He had a splotch of white on his face too. He was more majestic than cute, with a ruff like a fur collar."

"They sound nice," Rebecca said.

"I don't know about nice," I said. "Linus was lazy, and Evan was always getting into trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Well there was the time he decided to roll in the ashes from a fire we had. That was the second time we ever had to give him a bath."

"How did he take that?" David asked.

"Badly. He spent the next several days smelling like shampoo and struggling to regain his pride."

"Speaking of people trying to regain their pride, we have a match against DMND tomorrow," Lily said.

"Huh?" I glanced up. "Why wasn't I told about this? Our next match isn't supposed to be 'til the end of the week."

"It was a last minute change," Lily said, holding up her scroll to show us the announcement. "DMND's opponents, Team STRW has an injury, so they're out. Goodwitch decided to move us to cover the gap."

"Okay then. It's a good thing I'm done with my homework then." I glanced back. "Sorry Toto, I need to start planning, so you need to move."

"Mrow?" Toto said sleepily.

"Sorry little guy, but I need to get up."

"Mrow." He stretched and climbed down.

"I swear, you are the smartest cat I've ever met," I said. He really was. I'd had smart cats before, but Toto almost seemed like he understood everything I said. I got up and pulled out the notebook I used for battle strategies. The last time we'd faced off against DMND was before Forever Fall. A lot had changed since then. The old strategies wouldn't work.

I decided to start with a quick review of what we were up against.

_Dawn Rellna, uses two star knives. Semblance, fear projection._

_Notes: Superior agility and acrobatic capability. Lacks striking power and endurance. Counter for Semblance: None, really. Hope she targets me. _

_Miranda Corees, uses two tonfa sticks, double as pistols. Semblance, phasing._

_Notes: Skilled in close-quarters combat. Weak at range. Unpredictable. Prone to unusual behavior. Counter for Semblance: Unnecessary at this time. She lacks the ability to utilize it for battle, although this may change._

_Nyx Chrysander, uses two kukri with embedded Dust storage cylinders. Semblance, Dust alteration._

_Notes: Another agility fighter. The kukri are virtually meaningless. She uses the Dust in her body, only utilizing the Dust in her Kukri when her personal supply is depleted, and her claws make her a dangerous opponent, even when disarmed. Counter for Semblance: Impossible._

_Drake Crim, uses an electric nodachi. Semblance, Aura form armor._

_Notes: Durable, strong, and the anchor for DMND. While his Semblance is active, he is physically stronger than David, although he is less maneuverable. The electric aspect of the nodachi makes him even more dangerous as it complicates defense. Counter for Semblance: Direct force can overwhelm it, rendering him vulnerable._

I tugged gently on my new beard, considering options. Drake's Semblance was powerful, but without him, his team simply didn't have the striking power to overwhelm us. He was going to have to be the first target. A plan started to form in my head.

"Hey Lily, do you have Time Dust?" I asked.

"Yeah, quite a bit. What do you have in mind?"

"Not sure yet. Let me work on it a bit more, then I'll tell you." Time manipulation is fascinating in my opinion, and the possible applications are endless. In this case though... Yes. This should work. I started drawing up sketches for the fight, and how it could play out.

I wasn't the strongest fighter at Beacon. Certainly not what you'd expect from the leader of the best team in the year. But that wasn't my job. No, my role was the man behind the scenes, the one with the plan. And I always have a plan. Always.

**A/N: MRLD versus DMND! A four on four fight! All sorts of fun!**

**To Kaimi Kreissel, thank you. I can understand the skepticism as it is a bit of a niche category, somewhere between a true next generation story and a future story, but it's something I like to do, and I like to think I'm fairly good at it. It gives me a chance to create new characters whose identities are completely distinct from the canon characters. I'm particularly happy with how Kevin is turning out. One of the advantages of the first-person narrative structure is that it means I can explore one character in great depth, so I put a lot of effort into making Kevin as human as possible. He may very well be the most complex character I've ever created.**

**To SilverstormXD, the women (Ruby's twenty five, they're not girls anymore) of RWBY aren't the main characters in this story, more like recurring secondary characters. If you want to see more of them, you should probably go find another story.**

**That's all for now. This may be the last chapter I post until after Christmas as the period before Christmas is very stressful for me and I will be visiting family for the holiday itself. Yes, I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. No, I'm not explaining that. See you all next time.**


	31. Gem Clash

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**Turns out I was wrong. This is the last chapter before Christmas. Enjoy!**

"Did you hear about the change in match ups?" A young man with red hair asked.

"Yeah, STRW had to back out because of an injury," the dark skinned girl next to him said.

"Supposedly Sandy sprained her wrist. She's probably faking it."

"Faking it?"

"They were supposed to go up against DMND, I wouldn't blame her for being scared."

I chuckled internally. I was making my way to the arena for the match when these two got in front of me and started talking. I decided not to push through as I still had plenty of time. It wouldn't have helped much anyways. The hallway was unusually crowded. DMND was good, with a well deserved reputation for ending fights quickly. They actually held the record for the fastest victory of the year, ending it in just under ninety seconds.

"Did you hear who's replacing STRW?" the girl asked.

"No, I didn't. Did you?"

"MRLD."

The red head whistled. "Wow. No wonder everyone's excited. DMND's good, but MRLD hasn't lost a team match since...since..."

"October," I said. "It was in October. We lost to Team PPLE." They turned and stared at me in shock. "We learned a lot from that fight though, so I think it was worth it. Still, I wouldn't mind losing to DMND. After all, best if our streak is broken by friends. Excuse me." I stepped past them and continued my journey.

* * *

><p>"What took you so long?" Lily asked as I made my way into the prep area.<p>

"Traffic," I said. "The halls are crowded. Apparently a lot of people want to see this match."

"Can't you just teleport?"

"We're going up against DMND, I didn't want to use up my Aura." I grabbed Molnair and Talon and began strapping them on.

"So, Kevin, which plan are we going with?" Rebecca asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know before the fight starts."

"No last minute changes?" David asked.

"No, I think we're good. We have some new tricks to show off, and we have several solid plans. Even if we don't win, this will be the fight of the year," I said, making the final attachments for my weapons. "Let's head out." We made our way towards the door to the arena.

* * *

><p>We walked in just as DMND entered from the other end of the arena. We kept walking until we met in the middle.<p>

"DMND, good to see you," I said. "We haven't done this since September."

"Yeah, we haven't," Dawn said with a smirk. "You're not going to win this time."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, grinning right back. "Last I checked, it was MRLD, not DMND, who was first in the team standings."

"Keep talking big guy, you're going down." Her smile grew even wider.

"Then I guess we should make this a fight to remember, huh?"

"It will be," Dawn said.

"Students!" Professor Goodwitch's voice rang out from her position in the umpire's box. "You have one minute to decide on your strategies! After that time the duel will begin! If your Aura enters the red you will be eliminated from the match! Any questions?"

No one answered as we retreated to our side of the arena.

"Dawn means business," I said. "My guess is that she'll go with their DC strategy." Yes, I name my opponents tactics. It helps me keep them organized in my head.

"So we're going with Fun House?" Rebecca asked.

"No, Gem Cutter," I said. Yes, I name my own tactics too. If you have a problem with that, I really don't care. "Fun House is more for entertainment value. They're taking this more seriously than that. Gem Cutter is our best option."

"I still don't like it," Lily said. "It's risky and we still haven't mastered some of the moves involved."

"I'm aware of that, but DMND knows all our usual tricks. Dawn's not much for complicated tactics, but she has a talent for finding the simple solutions. She'll have a counter for our old moves."

"So we use something they haven't seen before," David finished for me.

"Right." I nodded. "Let's do this."

We turned to face DMND.

* * *

><p>Professor Goodwitch signaled the start of the match. Immediately, DMND launched onto the attack, using their speed advantage to strike before we could get anything off. I rolled to my left as Dawn came down with her knives, aiming for my face. Miranda targeted Rebecca, starting a high speed martial arts duel. Nyx and Drake moved in on David and Lily, forcing them to retreat under the vicious assault as Drake summoned his bright red armor.<p>

Their strategy was obvious but effective. Their lightning fast assault had split MRLD apart into its components, turning the match into three distinct fights. Myself against Dawn, Rebecca against Miranda, and Nyx and Drake against Lily and David. It was a smart move on their part. MRLD's strength isn't in the individual skill of its members, but in our ability to work together. In a series of one against one battles, DMND has an overwhelming advantage against MRLD. They simply have the better fighters. If they could keep us from combining our efforts, they were going to win.

I stepped back, dodging another slash from Dawn's knives. She wasn't using her Semblance, which was also a smart move on her part. My typical reaction to fear is to just start thinking as fast as I can. It's useful in combat, although it makes pre-test jitters that much worse. I took another step back, letting her drive me toward the wall of the arena. I edged to my right, trying to get closer to Rebecca.

Dawn brought her knives up in a crossing pattern. I lashed out with Talon and Molnair to block, only to fall for her feint as she spun into a back-flipping kick to my face. I staggered back, slightly dazed. She landed on her feet and dashed forwards, her blades flashing as she swung at me. I ducked under one strike and took the other on Talon's armor.

I jumped back to gain a moment to evaluate the situation. DMND was pushing us hard. We were spread out across the arena and almost backed up against the edges. It looked bad.

Everything was going according to plan.

"Rebecca, Mirror Box!" I shouted. Rebecca disengaged from Miranda, performing her own backflip to get out of range of the Tonfa sticks. She raised her hands and activated her Semblance. Mirror Box was a new trick we'd been working on. It still wasn't perfect, but what we did have was more than good enough. Miranda and Dawn suddenly found themselves surrounded by illusionary mirrors, disorienting and distracting them.

I powered up my own Semblance and teleported over to where Lily and David were trying to hold off Nyx and Drake. "Lily, Flash Dance!" I shouted as I lunged at Nyx, forcing her away from the white and blue half of my team. Lily jumped over to stand beside David, spinning the chamber of Echino to a yellowish Dust, then stabbed the ground between her and David. A flash of light and they started moving too fast to track.

I slashed at Nyx with Molnair, following up with a stab from Talon, and completing the combo with a sweeping kick that took her off her feet. Behind me, David and Lily moved on Drake faster than he could react to. Unable to defend himself, the duo reduced his Semblance armor to nothing in less than a second before David smacked him with the flat of his axe, throwing Drake across the arena and dropping his Aura to red. I dropped towards the fallen Nyx, leading with Molnair. She rolled aside, popping back to her feet and dashing away.

"MRLD, Alpha Strike!" I shouted. This was an old move of ours, and not really all that elegant, but it gets the job done. And yes, I completely stole the name for it. Sue me. Rebecca launched herself into the air with a powerful jump, dispelling the illusions around Dawn and Miranda just as David switched his axe to bazooka mode, Lily shifted Echino's chamber to red, and I leveled my machine guns at Dawn. The world seemed to pause for a moment, then all four of us opened fire on DMND's leader.

My bullets ripped into her Aura, followed a split second later by a rocket from David and a blast of fire from Lily. Rebecca also launched two darts from her weapons, unleashing an electrical charge on Dawn. The resulting explosion tossed Dawn around like a rag doll, dropping her Aura into the red as well.

"MRLD, form up!" I shouted. "Nightshade!" Rebecca moved over to rejoin us as Nyx and Miranda ran to join each other. Now that it was four on two, splitting up favored MRLD, not DMND. "Double Flash!" I said. Rebecca and Lily moved next to each other as Lily channeled her Semblance into Rebecca's darts. She fired at the ground in front of team -MN-, her aim perfect. We covered our eyes as the two supercharged darts let off a blinding blast of light, disorienting our enemies. Nyx in particular was dazed, her Faunus senses proving a liability against light-based weaponry.

"Charge!" We charged, attacking before they could recover. Rebecca grabbed Miranda by her arms and spun her into a throw. David met her in midair with his axe, hurling her across the arena to join Dawn and Drake. Lily stabbed at Nyx while I spun around and attacked from behind. Caught between the two of us, she had nowhere to escape to. We rapidly stripped her of her Aura.

"And the match goes to Team MRLD!" Professor Goodwitch said.

* * *

><p>"You know, you didn't have to beat us that thoroughly," Dawn said to me as we watched the one on one duels that followed the team match.<p>

"Dawn, I know what you'd do to me if you found out we hadn't hit you with everything we had. Or would you rather we had let you win?" I grinned at her suddenly angry expression.

"You know I don't like people handing my victories to me," she hissed.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't."

"By the way, you guys had some moves I haven't seen before."

"Yep. Mirror Box and Double Flash are new. Flash Dance isn't new exactly, but it's not something we use a lot, so maybe you've missed that one too?" I asked.

"No, I've seen it before. We even have a counter for it."

"Let me guess, that's why you had Nyx and Drake stick together."

"Yep."

"I thought that was it," I said. "You had a good plan."

"Obviously not good enough," Dawn grumbled.

"Well that goes without saying," I said. "After all, I am the greatest tactician Beacon has ever seen."

"In your dreams," she said, laughing.

"Well, let's see. I predicted your plan, noticed the slight alteration, deduced the reason for the alteration, and enacted a successful counter strategy, all without losing a single member of my team."

"Rebecca was in the low yellow."

"A lot of that was self-inflicted. Mirrors aren't easy illusions to make."

"Well none of you were in the green at the end."

"True. You guys did a good job. But next time your plans start going that well, make sure you're watching your back, because that's the moment everything will go wrong."

"You just wanted to teach me a lesson about tactics, didn't you?"

"Maybe. But it's something should learn."

"Class dismissed!" Goodwitch's voice put an end to our conversation.

"See you around!" I said. "Good fight!"

"Same to you!" Dawn said.

**A/N: And this is why MRLD is the number one team in the year. **

**To Kaimi, Kevin is very much a cat person. He'd have adopted Toto personally if he could have, but his own position is a bit precarious already without a pet. He doesn't have a permanent home of his own at moment, and he doesn't really have much money either. I also think of Professor Goodwitch as being a cat person, even if she'll go to great lengths to hide it. Animals do have Aura, although Semblances were never mentioned. I decided that Toto should have a Semblance mostly for the humor value. Toto is one of the few things in this story with zero impact on the plot. He is, however, amusing.**

**To the anonymous guest, don't tell Kevin that. He won't take it well.**

**To Cyborg, Toby was a cat I used to own who Toto is loosely based off of. I forgot to switch the names at that point. This has been corrected.**

**To Silver, alright then, I can understand that. Aging up characters realistically is hard to do. I have seen the Henceforth AU, but I haven't had the time to sit down and actually read it start to finish. It's on the to-do list though.**

**To Blue, uh... right. That's... great. Okay then.**

**That's all for now, see you all next time.**


	32. Post-Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"No practice today," I said to the team as Coco's class came to an end. This was fairly standard practice for us after a team battle. If, or more often when, we won we would skip practice for the day unless there was a major issue during the fight that needed to be addressed. The DMND battle had gone as smoothly as I could have asked for, so our usual after-class session was canceled. "Have fun, but don't forget about homework."

The other three members of the team shared a look which I didn't get, but whatever.

"Lily and I are going to visit DMND," David said.

"Come on guys, gloating is beneath you," I said.

"We're not gloating!" Lily said. "Nyx wanted to talk about some of the Dust tricks I was using."

"And I was thinking about upgrading Seldor," David said. "I wanted to talk to Drake about elemental weaponry."

"Huh. If I was the suspicious and hyper-competitive type, I'd accuse you two of fraternizing with the enemy," I said with a grin. "But I'm not." I sobered a bit. "I'm also not short sighted enough to lose track of the real enemy. If you have something to share with another team, do so. With the way the Grimm have been acting lately, we all need every advantage we can get."

"Thanks Kevin," David said. "Not every leader would be so understanding."

"Do I look like Conrad?" I asked. "Have I been shrinking?"

"No, but it never hurts to check," David said. "We'll be back later. We may end up doing our homework there too, so don't wait for us."

"Just make sure you're back in time for class tomorrow," Rebecca said.

"We'll make it," Lily said. "See you later." She and David walked off.

* * *

><p>"So, what are you planning to do with your free time?" Rebecca asked. We'd just finished up the last of our homework and were tidying up the dorm a bit.<p>

"I thought I'd get some more work done on the Green Knight," I said. "I've just about decided what I want to do with it, now I just need to figure out how to make it work."

"Would you like some help?" Rebecca asked.

"Sure, although I'm not sure how much you'll be able to do at this stage. It's mostly just planning at the moment." I stood in the middle of the room and held out my hand. "Free ride?"

"Sure," she said laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"You! You're so casual about your ability to teleport, but from what you've found it's virtually impossible."

"Impossible with Dust, maybe. But I'm not using Dust. Are you coming or not?" I held out my hand. She took it. I activated my Semblance and we vanished from the dorm.

* * *

><p>"So what exactly are you planning?" Rebecca asked.<p>

"I'm not sure," I replied, my voice echoing a bit. I had my head inside the mech's right arm, examining some of the wiring. "I had an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work anymore." I looked around again. No, this wasn't going to work the way I thought. Maybe if I removed the right arm's cannon and consolidated the ammunition in the left arm, then used the mounting? No, it was the wrong shape. It wouldn't fold up properly. Maybe if I did the same thing but with the fist? No, that still wouldn't work. Maybe a hardwelded-

"What are you muttering about?" Rebecca asked.

I pulled my head out. "Huh? Oh sorry, I didn't realize I was doing it. I guess I was thinking out loud."

"How did you learn all this anyways?" Rebecca asked.

"All of this? You mean how to work with the mech?" I asked. "Back in my world, I was planning to go into robotics once I graduated high school. I've always liked building things and I wanted to build something that would help people. Robotics seemed like the thing to do. Even if I'm only a mediocre programmer. Of course, a year short of graduation, I find myself in Remnant, where robotics is at a level my world can only dream of."

"Mostly in Atlas," Rebecca said. "Robots are their specialty."

"I know," I said. "One of these days I may go and visit the place. The robots in this world are amazing, but so far the only ones I've seen are security robots."

"...That's what robots are _for,_" Rebecca said, sounding like someone explaining that water was wet.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed. "They have robots like that and they only use them for _security_? That's like having a Swiss Army Knife and only using it as a knife!"

"Swiss Army Knife?"

"They're folding knives with all sorts of other useful attachments. Like bottle openers, or screwdrivers, or scissors, or weird doohickeys that obviously do something but no one can figure out what. My point is, in my world robots didn't start in the military. In fact, most of the robots we have are used for manufacturing, although they've started to enter people's homes too. The military is actually a bit behind the curve when it comes to robots."

"So you're saying robots can be used off the battlefield?" Rebecca asked, dubious.

"Of course!" I said. "They can be used for pretty much anything, as long as you build them right and program them properly. Building manufacturing robots should be far simpler than building battle droids."

"Droids?"

"Short for androids. It's a movie reference."

"Lord of the Rings again?" she asked.

"No, Star Wars," I said. "If we ever get the opportunity, you and I are going to sit down and watch a whole lot of movies together."

"What about David and Lily?" Rebecca asked, a faint blush touching her cheeks. I suddenly realized what I'd said.

"Oh! Yes! Them too! Of course!" I said, a bit flustered. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly talented when it comes to the female of the species. Assuming we were actually from the same species. There was that dimensional difference, along with several physiological differences, so maybe- never mind. Not important. "They should see the movies too!"

"Right! Of course!"

"Yeah... So, back to work!" I said, turning back to mech.

"Right, back to work," Rebecca said.

* * *

><p>I finished my examination of the mech and pulled up the newly improved schematics on my scroll. I started putting together a schematic for my planned modification, checking dimensions. Hmm, I should have enough material for my project. The rocket launchers I'd ripped out were still here, and they were made of the same Dust reinforced titanium that the rest of the mech was made of. I would have to test it, but it should be ideal for what I had in mind. Hmm, my calculations said I should have a bit of extra material. Perfect. I could use the extra for a prototype. I even had a proper test bed available. And, if it worked, I could keep it as an upgrade! A solid plan all round. Now, I just needed to-<p>

"So, you're birthday's this Saturday." Rebecca's voice interrupted my scheming. "You're still not going to do anything for it?"

"Huh?" I shook myself. "My birthday? No, nothing planned. Even if I did want to do something, I really couldn't. After all, I'm pretty much flat broke. It's not like I could throw a party or something."

"Oh. Okay." She sounded... not disappointed exactly, but I couldn't find a better word.

"It's not that big a deal," I said. "Like I told you before, it's not the first time I've ignored it."

"Alright then. Back to the dorm now?"

"Just a minute, I need to close up the mech," I said, pointing at the opened access panels.

"I'll let Lily and David know." She pulled out her scroll and started taping away on the keypad.

"Huh? Oh, sure, why not?" I mad my way over to the mech and put everything back into place. It took a bit as I'd been checking the wiring all the way from the arm to the cockpit and back, but soon I was done. Rebecca glanced at her scroll as it went off, signaling a text.

"Lily? Or David?" I asked.

"David. They're going to meet us back at the dorm later. They're still doing homework with DMND."

"Sounds good," I said. I checked the time on my scroll. "It's getting late, do you want to get dinner?" I asked.

"Sure."

"Alright then." I held out my hand again. "Another free ride?"

She laughed again and took my hand.

**A/N: Alright, short chapter, I'm sorry. It takes me a bit to get back into the grove of things after taking time off. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. Mine actually didn't suck for the first time in five years, which counts as a win in my book. (Christmas is usually a very bad time for me. Not this time though.)**

**In any case, I had fun with this chapter. Awkward dialogue is so much fun to write.**

**To Blue, none of the cats I've ever owned ever showed much interest in my tongue. I really need to track down where that expression came from because it makes no sense.**

**To the anonymous guest, I agree, the tactics do seem a bit rigid. However, they're more flexible than you'd think. Kevin's tactics come in three major varieties: Mission Specific, such as Fun House and Gem Cutter, Situation Specific, such as Mirror Box, Double Flash, Alpha Strike, and Flash Dance, and General tactics such as Nightshade. Mission Specific tactics are plans for a specific battle, and are frequently used once and then discarded. Situation Specific tactics are things like combination attacks or specific usages of Semblances, and, at least numerically speaking, make up the majority of MRLD's tactical arsenal. These tend to be somewhat rigid, although Kevin expects his teammates to interpret his orders in order to achieve maximum effectiveness. General tactics are, well, general purpose. In the case of Nightshade, it means a distraction followed by a full-on assault. Exactly what the distraction or what the assault entails depends on the situation. These are the most flexible of MRLD's techniques and, in a longer battle or a battle that takes an unexpected turn, these are what MRLD will fall back upon.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	33. Happy Birthday

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"So, the dance is in a few weeks," David remarked as I carefully dismantled Molnair.

Forget what movies have taught you about weapons, they're much higher maintenance than you think. Steel may be strong, but it has limits, and a poorly maintained weapon is a danger to its user. It would be even worse if we didn't use Aura to help reinforce our weapons. I'm glad I don't have to replace the barrels for the machine guns all the time. Yeah, machine guns in particular are maintenance nightmares. Without Aura, you have maybe a minute of continuous fire before you have to literally take the thing apart and replace the now warped and useless barrel. Aura protects against damage, even self-inflicted damage like that, but it doesn't prevent ordinary wear and tear, which was why I was taking advantage of the weekend to conduct general maintenance on both of my weapons.

"And your point is?" I asked as I cleaned out the old gun oil from the weapon. It was a mess, but that meant it was working.

"Who are you going to ask?"

"Ask? You mean who am I going to ask out?" I turned my attention to the firing chamber.

"Yes," David said.

"No one. I'm not going."

"You're not?"

"Nope."

"People are going to talk if you don't go."

"They'll talk if I do go," I said, double checking one of the barrels. "Besides, I'm not exactly a social person. Besides MRLD and DMND, I don't really spend all that much time with people. Oh, and Conrad when he decides to mess with me, although he hasn't come near me since Winter Break. Anyways, my point is, me not going makes more sense than me going."

"If you want to look at it that way, then that's true," David said. "Or, you could look at it as the leader of the best team in the first year and one of the most eligible single male students skipping out on the biggest social event of the year."

"I suppose you could, but I don't-" I froze as David's words actually processed. "Wait. Back up. What was that second part?"

"According to Nyx, this is more her territory than mine, you're considered one of the most eligible single male students in the school."

"What." I blinked. I could make sense of his words on an intellectual level, but their meaning just could not process. I would have been less confused if I'd seen someone walking their pet Beowolf around on a leash. "David, I'm that weird guy who's two years older than everyone else, says weird things, doesn't interact with people all that much, spends more time with teachers than I do with most students, and on the rare occasions I do talk with people outside our little group, I tend to be annoying and cocky. How does this make me prime dating material?"

"Once again, you are looking at things the wrong way. According to Nyx, you have a 'mysterious air about you' because of how reclusive you are and your age. You clearly have the 'mind of a genius' given your tendency to quote obscure things that no one has heard of and yet still lead your team to victory over and over again. And, when you do make appearances, most people seem to find you 'funny and confident' rather than annoying and cocky. That, and you look pretty good with a beard."

"What." I was flat out stunned. "David, I'm a geek. A socially awkward geek. The guy you just described is not me."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I shouted. "David, in high school I was the weird kid too. I was a year younger than everyone else on account of having skipped a grade, I was in all the honors and AP classes, I was socially awkward, I had an easier time dealing with teachers instead of students, and I didn't even attend a dance until my junior year, just before I got yanked over to Remnant."

"So you've been to a school dance before?"

"Yes, my girlfriend more or less dragged me into it."

"You have a girlfriend?" David asked.

"Most likely had, past tense. It's been almost four years and she probably thinks I'm dead. As romantic as it would be for her to wait for me, I really hope she hasn't done that. I want her to have moved on with her life."

"What's her name?"

"Heather. Heather Davis. We met in our sophomore year and decided to try dating in our junior year. It was working out fairly well, but who knows if it would have lasted. I was fifteen when we started going out and I had a habit of putting my foot in my mouth and chewing vigorously."

"Putting your foot in your mouth?" David asked with slightly disturbed look. "Are you even capable of doing that?"

"What? No, it's an expression," I said. "It means saying something that gets you into trouble."

"Oh," he said, relieved. "That makes more sense."

"So anyways, I had a habit of saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. I'm not as bad now, but I'm not exactly smooth either."

"Maybe it's time to try again?"

"David, you know I plan to leave Remnant as soon as I can. I'm not going to date someone I'm planning on leaving." I shook my head. "You're as bad as Yang." I did one final check of the various pieces of Molnair and then reassembled the weapon.

"And what if you can't go home?" David asked. "Will you spend your whole life avoiding people?

"I can't accept that, David. I will find a way home."

"I know, just don't forget about the world you're in."

"I won't. Now, are you done questioning me?" I asked, still mildly annoyed.

"Depends on why Dawn's here," David said.

"Hey David, hey Kevin," Dawn said as she turned the corner and entered the armory maintenance shop.

"You know it's creepy when you do that, right?" I said to David. He shrugged and grinned. "Hey Dawn, what's up? Are you here to do maintenance too?" It seemed unlikely. Her star knives were too simple to require extensive work. Really all they needed was the occasional polishing to prevent rust, and that could be done in a dorm.

"No, Professor Coco wants to talk to the two of us," Dawn said. "She said we should meet her at two o' clock."

I checked my scroll. One forty. "Alright, just a minute." I picked up Molnair and put the reassembled weapon back in the locker. "Do you know where she wanted to meet?"

"No, she didn't say."

"Then it's either her office or her classroom," I said. "Do you know where her office is?"

"No, do you?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. I'll check there then. You check the classroom."

"Sounds good."

"By the way, do you know what she wants to talk to us about?"

"No, she didn't say."

Weird. Coco may be colorful, but this wasn't typical behavior for her. Something must be up. "Well, let's get going, we don't want to keep her waiting."

David spoke up. "That reminds me, there's something I need to do as well. See you guys later." He exited the room, followed by myself and Dawn.

* * *

><p>I decided not to use my Semblance just yet. Sure, I knew exactly where Coco's office was from all the times I had visited to set up Rebecca's Grimm training, but I still had time and people don't really like it when someone appears out of thin air in front of them. Lapis made sure to beat that into my head after I startled her into dropping her project for Professor Peach. I winced. Sometimes I was sure I still had bruises from that event.<p>

I turned the corner and started down the hall at a jog. Coco's office should be right... here! I skidded slightly as I came to a stop. Huh. Closed. I knocked. No answer. Alright, classroom it is then. I started off at light run.

* * *

><p>I reached the door to the classroom and stopped. Where was Dawn? The door was shut and from what I could tell the lights were off inside. What was going on? I tested the door knob. It was unlocked. I slowly pushed it open and stepped in. It was dark, but there was just enough light coming from the hallway for me to see where I was going. Where was Coco? Wasn't she supposed to-<p>

The lights went on. "Happy Birthday Kevin!" my team said. I looked around, blinking around. The room had been temporarily converted into a party room, complete with decorations. My team was all there, as was DMND. Coco was there too, smiling as she made her way to the door and left.

"What- How- Guys!" I sputtered.

"Happy birthday, Kevin," Rebecca said as she walked over to me. "We couldn't let our leader's birthday go without a celebration." Lily and David were grinning over by the table that had been set up on the floor.

"Uh- I don't- Why-" I gave up. Coherent sentences just weren't happening right now.

"Hey, it's not all for you," Lily said. "We're also celebrating having the longest winning streak a team has had in six years."

"Then why does everything have my name on it?" I asked, finally regaining the ability to speak. Trust Lily to break me out of speechlessness.

"Okay, it's mostly you. But not all you!"

"So what are you guys doing here?" I asked DMND.

"I thought we were friends, Kevin!" Miranda exclaimed. "I'm hurt!"

"You should apologize," Nyx said. "After all the work we put into this, you should at least be thankful."

"You guys helped set this up?" I asked. "I don't know what to say. Thanks."

"We've been planning this for weeks," Dawn said. "Rebecca found out that you weren't doing anything for your birthday and she wanted to throw you a surprise party. So she asked us for help."

"Really?" I looked over at Rebecca. "So this is all your idea."

"Pretty much." She grinned at me. "You haven't had a proper party in four years. Something had to be done."

"I guess so." I was stunned. These people had gone to this much trouble for me? It was almost like being back at home again. I looked around at my friends. "Thank you."

"Enough talk, let's eat!" Drake said, pointing at the table.

* * *

><p>The party was fairly simple, but I didn't care. I had no idea they were doing this for me. I might not admit it, but as long as I've been in Remnant, my birthday has served as a reminder of what I've lost. When I stop to think about it, I always feel homesick. Not this time. This time, I felt right at home. I had my friends, and maybe even family at this point around one table, laughing, talking, smiling. It dragged on for over an hour, despite the lack of any real activities. Once the food had been polished off, Dawn and Rebecca went and retrieved a cake. It was amazing how similar the customs were between Earth and Remnant as I blew out the candles and cut the first slice.<p>

The cake soon vanished too. I stood up. "Thank you," I said. "I'm amazed you did all this for me, and I couldn't be more grateful. I- I felt like I was home."

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Lily demanded. "We're not done yet!"

"We're not?" I asked.

"No! It's time for the presents!"

I blinked again, dropping back into my seat. Okay then. Guess we weren't done quite yet.

* * *

><p>David's present was first. He held out a rectangular package wrapped in metallic blue paper. I opened it up to find a book. "Since you spend so much time reading that history book of yours, I thought you could use another one."<p>

"Thanks, David," I said.

Lily was next. Her present was also box shaped. I opened it up to find a box of special Dust bullets. "I know you like options in battle. There's a whole bunch of different types in there."

"Thanks, Lily, I can think of all sorts of ways I can use these." I grinned.

DMND had actually come together to give me one present as a team. Dawn held out the large, square box. "You're probably the only person in the school who doesn't have a combat uniform," she said. "We thought we'd fix that." I opened the box and pulled it out.

"Wow," I said. The shirt was made of a tough, emerald green fabric. Flexible metal plates covered the front in a triangle shape while the back had plates going all the way up. It even had built-in attachment points for carrying Molnair and Talon on my back. The black pants that came with it seemed fairly ordinary, but they were tough and flexible.

"There are magnetic connection points in the sleeves too," Drake said. "They'll help make sure you can't lose your weapons."

"The strap on Talon failed _one time_ and you guys put _magnets_ in my new uniform?" I asked. "You guys are awesome!"

"We knew that already," Dawn said. "But now we aren't losing to the worst dressed student in the school anymore."

"Hey!"

Rebecca stepped forward with a small box. I took it and opened it. I stared at the object in the box, not entirely understanding its purpose. It looked like two green featureless globes covered in white longitude and latitude lines and connected by another white line. I looked up at Rebecca. "A lot of students have emblems, so I thought you should have one that represents who you are."

I stared at her for a moment, then threw my arms around her. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything."

"Hey, if you two are gonna start, would you mind waiting until we're gone?" Nyx asked.

I quickly pulled back. "It's not like that!"

"You know the more you say it the less we believe it," Drake said.

"Ah, whatever," I said, making a brushing away motion with my hand. "Thank you all for doing this for me. I can't thank you enough."

"Well you can start by helping us clean," Lily said. "Coco wants her room spotless by tomorrow."

**A/N: Well that was fun. A bit about Kevin's life before getting yanked into the world of RWBY, a bit about how he sees himself, and a bit about how the school sees him. I honestly wasn't planning on making Kevin all that popular in the school, but the combination of his skills, general personality, and situation means that he pretty much has no choice about drawing attention, which means he either has to be popular (which is funny because he has no idea how to handle it), unpopular (which is boring because he's been there before and wouldn't care or notice), or polarizing (which creates unnecessary and meaningless drama). Popular it is.**

**Also, the universe continues to try and ship him with Rebecca, despite his best attempts to avoid it. **

**To Cyborg, a part of me finds it somewhat reassuring. There's the question of just how healthy it is to rely on robots for everything. I'm far from the first person to ask that question (there's a fifty year old comic book series that was built around that very question), but that doesn't make it invalid. However, in this case, I see it as another manifestation of the differences between Earth and Remnant's approach to technology. Remnant has more advanced tech, but Earth makes better and more diverse use of the tech it does have.**

**To Blue, the Green Knight will be used eventually, but its time has not yet come, and will not for a while yet. Certainly not this semester of Beacon.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	34. Ancient History

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Oh, hey there Toto," I said to the orange cat as I passed him sitting on the library's checkout desk. "How's it going?"

"Mrow," he replied.

"That good, huh?" I said.

"Mrow."

"Me? Oh, not too much. Recently turned twenty, and my friends decided to throw a surprise party for me. It was great."

"Mrow!"

"Why am I here? Two reasons. I've been asked to the dance five times in four days, which I still don't understand." David had proven distressingly right, and if he was to be believed this was only going to get worse over the next two weeks. "Hopefully no one's going to bother me in here. The other reason is that I'm looking to do some research."

"Mrow?"

"I'm planning another essay for Doctor Oobleck-"

"Mrow!" Toto started purring when I mentioned the Doctor.

"Yes, I like him too, but anyways, I was planning to write another one of the essays I do for bonus points in his class, this time looking at more ancient history. Problem is, I'm not very familiar with Remnant's ancient history and the books I have are either vague or focused on more modern history."

"Mrow."

"Exactly. So I came to the library to learn more."

"Mrow."

"Well, see you later." I started off into the library.

"Mrow!" Toto said, jumping down to follow me.

"Oh, you feel like keeping me company? Alright, as long as you aren't going to ask me to the dance too." I kept walking. Toto trailed along behind me, ignoring minor obstacles such as chairs and bookshelves in favor of simply walking through them. Some minor experimentation had revealed that he did not in fact have Miranda's Semblance, but rather the inverse of it. Which amounted to the same thing, and explained why Miranda can't use her Semblance very well in combat. Toto's Semblance is simple, he turns intangible and walks through whatever is in his way. Miranda's Semblance was a bit more complicated. She can't actually turn herself intangible, but she can turn anything she touches intangible. So while Toto phases through the wall, with Miranda the wall phases through her. If that makes any sense.

I turned right and headed for the history section. Hopefully I would find something useful. So far I hadn't found anything that had much information on anything occurring before about 2400 AD, roughly five hundred and fifty years ago. AD in this case meaning 'After Dust', which I thought was a perfectly reasonable place to start their dating system from. Certainly makes more sense than my world's dating system. Even if it did lead to some brief confusion on my part where I thought I'd somehow ended up in the future when I discovered that it was 2943 AD, although that was four years ago.

I reached the history section and started looking.

* * *

><p>"Huh. So that's where Montyism got its start." Remnant's ancient history was a bit different from Earth's, yet another fact that I assigned to the presence of the Grimm. Religion seems to have been a much less significant force in Remnant's history while military might, and hence the ability to protect the populous, was the primary motivating force. Even economic concerns took a distant second to the simple necessity of survival. Ironically, while strength ruled Remnant's history, war was all but unheard of. Between the much smaller population, the decreased competition for resources, the increased difficulty in actually reaching the enemy, and of course the constant external threat of the Grimm, war was utterly impractical. A few had been fought for the sake of ideology, but beyond that... nothing.<p>

I was honestly at something of a loss as to how to deal with this. Earth's history is littered with wars, to the point that they're pretty much the punctuation marks of the story of humanity. They divide up the history of the world into sections, ending eras and empires. Sad but true. It was almost annoying how passive Remnant was in this regard. I simply couldn't find any good reference points with which to help organize my research.

I closed the book I had with a sigh. Remnant really was a very different place from Earth. Especially in their ancient history, I was finding a lot of differences and precious few similarities. I took stock of what I had learned. Religion as a reference point was out. It just wasn't that historically significant here. War was out. It just didn't happen much here. Forms of government were out too, as Remnant somehow skipped out on the monarchy stage and went straight from military dictatorships to democracy and republics, a transition which seldom worked well in my world.

I put my head on the table and sighed again. So much for this essay. Maybe I could still write it focusing on the differences? No, all I _had _was differences.

"Mrow." Toto jumped onto the table and butted his head against my face.

"Hey there," I said. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

"Mrow."

"Didn't think so. Thanks anyway."

"Are you talking to that cat?" I lifted my head from the table and turned to see a girl staring at me.

"Dawn?" She certainly looked like Dawn, but different.

"No, I'm her older sister, Angela." I blinked. Dawn had a sister? This was news to me. "I'm in my final year."

"I'm Kevin, first year," I said. "And I guess I was talking to Toto."

"Toto? So that's his name." She walked over and stroked Toto's back. "I've been seeing him around the school lately and I was wondering whose he was."

"Well my team found him, but he belongs to Doctor Oobleck."

"I wouldn't have thought Oobleck was a cat person."

"Mrow."

"Me either, but Toto likes him."

"So, Kevin, what are you doing here?" Angela asked.

"Studying ancient history. Unsuccessfully."

"Well, what are you looking for?"

"That's complicated. I'm not sure I can explain properly."

"Try me." She certainly had Dawn's confidence.

"I'm looking for...reference points I guess. Something to divide history up into discrete periods that I can study."

"That's a unique approach," Angela said. "I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. What have you tried?"

"War, religion, and governments, but nothing's really working," I said. "War's not common enough, religion's not significant enough, and government just isn't working for various reasons."

"Technological development?"

"No. Too gradual."

"Literature?"

I blinked. "Maybe, but I'm not exactly well versed in literature." That was a bit of a lie, I'm rather well versed in _Earth _literature. Remnant literature is another story though.

"Well maybe you should look into it." She hurried off and then came back with a book. "Try this." She handed me the book, then sat down on the table. I looked at the title. _Classical Literature._ It was a text book.

"This is from the literature elective, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yep, but some of the stories are worth reading on their own. Give it a try."

My blurred. When was I going to find the time to do this? I already had classes, homework, team practice, weapon maintenance, working on the Green Knight, Doctor Oobleck's essays, and my tactical planning sessions to deal with. Somewhere in all that mess, I found time to eat and sleep, but reading the text book for a class I wasn't taking? I tried to reorganize, but I just couldn't figure out a way to make it fit.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think I have the time for it," I said. "I'm just...I already have so much to do..."

Angela looked at me again. "You said your name was Kevin, right? Kevin Malder?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Ah. You're the leader of MRLD, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, that explains why you're overworked. You're the leader of a team that has students a year ahead of it worried about their dueling rankings!"

I blushed slightly. "We're already the best team in our year. I don't see any reason to settle for that."

"No, there's no reason to settle," she said. "But be careful. I don't want anyone else to make the same mistake my team's leader did in our second year."

"What happened?"

"Simple. Michael pushed himself until he collapsed. Literally. He fell over in the middle of a class. It would've been funny if it hadn't been so alarming."

"But he was okay, right?"

"Eventually, but he had to learn to let his team handle some of the work. And he had to learn to take a break from time to time."

"I take breaks."

"Team bonding time doesn't count."

I blinked again. "Why not?"

"Because it's something you do for your team, not yourself. A real break means taking some time for yourself."

"I have me time too."

"And what do you do during this 'me time'?"

"Um...I'm customizing an Atlesian Paladin?" I offered.

"Oh! So you're the guy in hanger sixteen! You have an Atlesian Paladin in there?"

"Yeah, I, um, liberated it from the White Fang while preventing a robbery. Ozpin let me keep it."

She laughed. "That's awesome! But that still sounds like work."

"Well, I guess so," I said. "It's not exactly easy working on a mech, but I am making progress."

"Mech?"

"That's what I call it. Short for mecha, which is short for mechanized armor."

"Oookay, I'd have just said it was a robot and called it a day."

"It's not a robot! It cannot act without a pilot, meaning it's a vehicle, meaning it's not a robot! It's a mech! I know it looks like a robot, but it's not a robot!"

"Touchy subject I see."

"I'm just tired of people calling it a robot. It's not a robot. Unless a car is also a robot, in which case the definition of robot should just be expanded to replace the word machine."

"Alright then. Anyways, that's not really the sort of break I was talking about. Do something that doesn't tire you out, get yourself out of your comfort zone, have fun."

I stared at her. "If you're going to ask me to the dance, the answer is no."

"Who said anything about the dance?" Angela asked. "Although, now that you mention it, that would be a good event to go to. But I'm not going with you. You may be a year younger than me, but you're still a first year. And I already have a boyfriend."

"Good. I keep getting asked and it's getting on my nerves."

"The price of fame Kevin, the price of fame."

"Fame can go die in a hole for all I care."

"Between the two of us, I'd be perfectly willing to stab it myself, but getting back to the topic at hand, do you have some objection to going to the dance?"

"Been a wallflower my whole life, with one exception. That, and I'm not interested in dating anyone."

"Wallflower?"

"The guys who just stand by the walls and don't dance. Actually, they're braver than I am. I tend to sit in the corner. Of the next room over."

"Right." She smothered some chuckles. "You can't dance?"

"No, not really. At least, not when someone's watching."

"You get stage fright?"

"Yeah, sad, I know."

"My sister's told me stories about you, you know?"

"And?"

"I find it strange that a man who can keep his calm while facing hundreds of Grimm can suffer from stage fright."

"That was different. If I didn't act, people would have died. The dance... It's not that easy."

"You have a strange way of looking at the world, Kevin."

"You're not the first person to say that."

"Well here's my suggestion. Find someone you like as a friend and go to the dance with them. They won't expect too much from you, and they won't try to turn it into a relationship. Or maybe they will and you'll discover the two of you work."

"Not exactly reassuring in my situation," I said. "And don't take this the wrong way, but the only person I can think of for this is your sister, or maybe her team mate Nyx."

"Don't even try it." Angela said. "Dawn's taken and Nyx is dating Dawn's partner."

"Nyx and Miranda?" I thought for a moment, going over various times I'd seen them together. "How did I miss that one?"

"No idea. What about someone from your team?"

"I don't know... it would be awkward..." I fumbled for an answer.

"It can't be that bad. Just try it. Maybe you'll have some fun." She stood and stretched a bit, then turned back to me. "It was nice to meet you Kevin. I have to get going but maybe I'll see you later." She walked out of the library, leaving me with no progress on my essay and more confused than ever.

**A/N: I would have put up a warning sign for Nyx and Miranda, but... yeah, Whiterose. Kind of redundant. So, who's Dawn going to the dance with? Will Kevin go? Will he find a date? Will he ever stop being socially oblivious? Who knows!**

**To Fourze, by the time Kevin's teleportation ability gets precise enough for that to actually work, the story will be almost over. It's a good idea though.**

**To the anonymous guest, okay then, you may not find this particular arc all that interesting then. Sorry. Don't worry though, once this is over, MRLD will go on their first mission! **

**That's all for now, see you all next time.**


	35. DARK

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"No Adelaide, I don't care whose sister you are!" I said, trying to convince the girl to let me go to my dorm in peace. "And even if I did, he's Ruby's friend, not mine! I barely even know the man! And even if I did know him, I still wouldn't consider it a valid reason for going to the dance with you!"

"But-"

"But nothing! Now leave me alone!" I activated my Semblance, utterly done with this situation. I reappeared in the dorm just as David opened the door to enter. I turned and glared at him. "Laugh and you die."

"I did tell you this would happen," he said as he stepped in and closed the door. "Who are you running from this time?"

"Adelaide Arc. This is the third time she's asked!"

David smiled. "You have no idea how many guys would love to be in your situation."

"You want my job?" I shouted. "You want my problems? You can have them! May they bring you much joy and suffering!"

David smothered a laugh. "I'm okay, I already have a date and I'm not the sort of person girls ask out anyways."

"That's right, rub it in," I groaned. "I hate you _so_ much right now."

"I did warn you," David said.

"Not helping!" I shouted. "I'm losing my mind, make it stop!"

"It's not going to stop until the dance."

"That's another week from now! I'll be completely insane by that point!"

"There is another solution."

"Anything! Please, make it stop!"

"Say yes to one of them or find someone you do want to go with and ask them. Then you can say you already have a date and they'll leave you alone."

"I hate you."

"You wanted a way to make it stop."

"I still hate you."

"You might enjoy it so why not give it a try?"

"And who would you suggest I ask?"

"Rebecca," he said without a second's hesitation. "She's your partner, the two of you get along fairly well, and she's still single."

"...You're just trying to ship us, just like Yang is, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. Sit down and I'll explain why this is a very good idea."

I glared at him but did as he said, taking a seat on my bed. He sat down on his own bed, facing me. "Explain," I said.

"Let's start with how this helps you," David said. "It gets the girls, and boys, off your back. You get to go to the dance with a friend who won't expect too much from you. You won't even have to do much dancing because Rebecca's not very good at it either. You get to spend the evening with a friend who can help you deal with the strange setting, and maybe even allow you to enjoy it."

"Alright, I guess I can see that, but why do I get the sense that there's more to this?"

"Because there is. You may not know this, but Rebecca's something of a social outcast right now."

I blinked. "What? Why?"

"I'm fairly sure it's because of the name and personality change from last semester. She's viewed as 'weird' and sometimes 'disturbed'. The rumors about her are extremely negative, and despite both Nyx's and my best efforts, they're only getting worse."

"I don't see how this affects the dance."

"Rebecca wants to go to the dance, but she won't go if she doesn't have a date," David said simply. "No one wants to ask her out though because of the rumors."

"Which is where I come in," I said.

"Yes. You're her friend, and you know the real Rebecca better than anyone else does at this point. Probably even better than her family does at the moment. Definitely better than I do. She trusts you, and she likes you. If you ask her to the dance, she'll definitely say yes."

"Alright, I can see this, and I wouldn't mind going with her, but I get the feeling there's even more that you haven't told me yet."

"Of course there is. Think about it. The weird girl gets the guy who could have almost any girl in the school, possibly more than one if he wanted. It would be the social coup of the year."

"How did coup end up in this world's language without French? Never mind. I guess that makes sense, the outcast getting the popular one." I stopped for a moment and considered the situation. "My life has been downgraded from an anime to a high school romantic comedy."

"I'm going to pretend that made sense."

"Don't bother," I said. "It's not important. I'm just complaining at the universe."

"You do that a lot."

"It gives me a lot to complain about," I said. "So, you think I should ask Rebecca to the dance?"

"Yes. It will solve your problem, help with Rebecca's problem, especially once Nyx and I put the right spin on the rumors, and the two of you might even enjoy it."

"I guess we might," I said. "I can certainly think of worse people to go with. So, you and Nyx are in the rumor mongering together?"

"She is a woman of many talents," David said. "Do make sure to stay on her good side."

"Do I want to know?"

"She managed to hack into Conrad's school network account without being caught. I don't know what she did, but he spent several hours screaming at a computer."

"Wow. That guy's going to qualify for a Darwin Award at some point. And those don't even exist in this world."

"Darwin Award?"

"The Darwin Awards, for those people who prove that natural selection is real by taking themselves out of the gene pool in a truly stupid manner."

"Your world is weird."

* * *

><p>If your team is good enough and ranks highly enough in your year, you can, and will, be matched up against teams from the year above yours. It doesn't happen very often, but it does happen, and after a six month long winning streak, counting the break, we'd gone up against no less than four teams from the second year, all of whom we beat. Sure, they weren't exactly the best teams in their year, but still, they were second year students to our first year.<p>

However, just because we won doesn't mean it was easy, as our most recent match had shown. We'd been set up against Team DARK in a match. They were in the upper half of the second year team rankings, but, to be frank, an even more lopsided team than DMND. DMND may be agility heavy, but DARK is all about one thing. _Firepower_. They're all Dust wielders and, when operating in unison, they've been known to break the arena.

Lily is a very powerful Dust user. Her skill and her Semblance mean that the only Dust user I've ever seen her lose to in a one-on-one duel is Nyx. She's even fought in several two-on-one Dust fights and come out ahead. But four on one is too much for anyone to handle. Lily got taken out in the first five minutes of the fight by an all-out assault from DARK, utterly ruining my original plan. Fortunately we had a fallback, but it was alarming. In the end we used a combination of Rebecca's illusions and my teleportation to run them out of ammunition, but it was a very long and very close match that ended with a one-on-one duel between Rebecca and Ardun.

As the eight of us dragged ourselves out of the arena, the bell for the end of the school day rang.

"Good...fight..." I said weakly to Dahlia, DARK's leader.

"You too," she said. She was the first member of DARK to be knocked out, so she'd had a chance to recover a bit. "I see why you're the best in your year."

"Thanks." I flopped onto a bleacher for a moment. "I haven't been taken out since... I don't even know right now. A long time."

"Well you're stupidly hard to hit," Ryan said. "I could really learn to hate that teleportation thing of yours."

"Especially when half of the time it wasn't even real," Kendra chimed in. "It felt like I was chasing ghosts."

"That...was the general idea," Rebecca said, catching her breath.

"Once Lily was down our original plan didn't really work," David said. "You hit like a freight train."

"Hey, if you've got it, use it," Dahlia said. "You hit back pretty hard though," she said to Lily.

"Thanks," Lily grumbled. She never liked being taken out, and being dropped that fast had to be a blow to her ego. Especially since we went on to win the match.

"Hey, you did fine," I said. "You managed to hold your own against four Dust users, all of whom had more experience than you, for four minutes. I doubt even Nyx can do that."

"It was longer than I expected her to last," Ardun chimed in, his bat ears twitching. "You've got a good team here Kevin."

"I know. Well, we need to go, see you later." We stiffly rose and made our way to the door.

"Practice?" David asked.

"Yeah. We meet in the training area in half an hour. There's something I want us to work on."

"Alright, but don't expect anyone to like it," he said.

* * *

><p>We spent the next hour and a half in training. Instead of our usual routine, I had us focus on Dust use. DARK's tactics might be a bit like bringing a sledgehammer to a fencing match, but sometimes that was what it took to win. We did our best to dissect their tactics and find ways to incorporate their tricks into our own moves. In particular, they did several interesting things with Dust involving more than one person. Lily was our only dedicated Dust user, but with the cross-training we'd undergone both Rebecca and David were proficient enough with the stuff to serve in a pinch. I was still struggling to use it properly, but I was getting better.<p>

We tried some of their moves out and found the ones we could actually pull off while putting the rest aside for later examination. We've done this before with other teams who had interesting tricks and every single time we've learned something useful from the experience. Today was no exception as we added three new tactics to our arsenal, with another four possibilities that we just didn't have time to try.

* * *

><p>We trooped back to the dorm, tired and battered, but victorious.<p>

"I call first shower!" Lily said.

"You barely even fought!" David replied.

I looked over at Rebecca. "I'm not getting in the middle of this one."

"I've been in one fight already," she replied. "I'm fine skipping out on this one."

"See?" Lily said. "You can have the second shower!"

I covered my eyes with my hand, exasperated. "Fine, Rebecca and I can take the weapons back to the armory while you two get clean." I grabbed David's axe and turned to the door as Rebecca grabbed Echino and followed.

* * *

><p>"Hey, good work today," I said to Rebecca as we closed up the last locker. "We wouldn't have won without you."<p>

"Thanks," she said. "I think that was the hardest fight we've had all year."

_Now or never, Kevin._ I thought to myself. "Hey, um, Rebecca."

"Yes?"

"I uh, uh well, I um..." _D__ammit! Why can't I just ask her?_

"You what?"

"Ah, well, the, uh, the dance is coming up, and I was, I was wondering..."

"Wondering what?"

_She's either clueless, which is unlikely, or she really wants me to go through with this._ I took a deep breath before starting again. "I was wondering, that is, if you're not doing something else, if you would, as friends, like to go to the dance with me."

She blinked at me for a second before answering. "Of course I would."

"Alright then, I, um..."

"Kevin, have you never asked a girl to a dance before?"

"No, that's not it, I'm just...not very good at it."

"I see that."

"So, um, yeah..."

"Amazing, our fearless leader can't ask a girl out to save his life!" Rebecca said, laughing. Somehow that made me feel a bit better. "I'll be happy to go with you to the dance."

"Thanks." We opened the door and entered the dorm.

**A/N: Kevin is going to the dance with Rebecca! Not because they like each other in that way or anything though! (barely restrained laughter) Of course not! Aren't they just so cute?**

**To Cyborg, that depends on your definition of monarchy. Kevin was using the term to refer to the era of divine right to rule and the wars of succession. (The War of the Roses for example.) In a world where religion is less important, the divine right to rule is a lot less relevant as compared to who can keep the people safe, which meant that dynasties in Remnant's pre-democracy era tended to either be very competent or very short, and their only claim to power was military might, which is why Kevin doesn't consider them monarchs in the technical sense of the word. A lot of them still called themselves kings or queens though. Also, yours is the one hundredth review! Yay!**

**To the WildWolfForever, thanks. Neo will show up eventually, and I've already decided when, but given the nature of the character, she needs a proper entrance. Preferably at a point when the heroes _really_ don't want to deal with her. One of these days she's going to make their lives miserable.**


	36. The Dance: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

**I wish you all joy for my favorite holiday of the year, Twelfth Night! Even if no one really celebrates it much anymore.**

"So we meet again, my old nemesis," I said. "I have traveled across time and space, breaking through the walls between worlds, and still you have found me to continue our battle! But I warn you, I have grown strong in this world and this time, I will claim my victory!"

My foe did not respond. It never does.

* * *

><p>"Kevin, if you don't hurry up we're going to be late," David said as he entered the dorm. "What's taking you so lon-" He cut off as he took in the scene before him.<p>

"Help," I said. "Please." I was entangled in mortal combat with an old enemy and it was not going well. My enemy? My necktie. I didn't know how to tie one when I left Earth, and I still don't know how. However, what I was doing was clearly not working. I had one end of the tie around my arm, another around my neck, a third end which had appeared by magic strangling my leg, and fourth end, again appearing by magic, was tangled up in the buttons of my suit. I have no idea how this worked.

"How did you even-?" He stared at me in horrified awe. "Congratulations Kevin, you've discovered your second Semblance."

"Please tell me that's not a thing."

"No, but it's the only explanation I can think of for what you've done here!"

"Just help!" I said.

David walked over and pulled the tie off me. The extra ends vanished into thin air as he quickly detangled the offending piece of fabric. "Honestly Kevin, it's not that hard." He tied the annoying object into the perfect looking noose around my neck.

"I knew I should have asked for a clip-on."

"No. You'd look silly."

"You are far too into this topic, David."

"One of us has to care about image."

"Clearly. But I don't." I stood and went over to my trunk.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting the finishing touch."

"I thought that was the tie."

"The tie is an unfortunate necessity. How the things got popular in two worlds is beyond me." I pulled out the object of my search and carefully dusted it off. "This is the final piece."

"Kevin, you can't seriously plan on wearing that to the dance."

"Why not?"

"Because hats went out of fashion twenty years ago. No one wears hats anymore."

"First off, it's not just a hat. It's a fedora. Second, watch me." I carefully settled the hat on the top of my head.

"You're seriously going to wear that, aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I am." I adjusted the hat in front of the mirror. "I always wear a fedora when I wear a suit."

"Well I suppose it fits with your public image," David said, resigned to watching me commit a fashion crime. "The reclusive and eccentric, yet brilliant and charismatic leader! Now with his own unique and eccentric style!"

"Thank you. I happen to like the hat myself."

"I can see that. Now, can we go?"

"Yes, we can."

* * *

><p>We arrived at the club that had been rented for the dance. Our dates were waiting for us.<p>

"Hey there Kevin!" Dawn said as she made her way over to stand by David. "I wasn't sure you were going to come!"

"Well, you know, I have to appear in public from time to time. Helps maintain my, ahem, image."

"You're mocking my date," she said.

"Yes, yes I am. He disapproved of the hat, so I feel no guilt for doing so."

"It is a nice hat," she admitted. "Now go talk to your date and leave us alone. Go on, shoo!" She made a gesture in Rebecca's direction and she and David headed in.

"Hi there," I said to Rebecca.

"Hi," she said with a smile. She looked very nice in her, oh screw it, I'll admit it, she was beautiful. She was wearing a long, sleeveless dress of dark red. Her shoes were a lighter shade of red that almost seemed to shimmer in the light from the dance club. Her long hair was done up in an elaborate style that I don't know the name of, and she just generally looked amazing.

"You look great," I said in what was probably the understatement of the year.

"You look pretty good yourself," she said with a smile. "I like the hat."

"David did not approve," I said. "Apparently hats are 'out of fashion' as of two decades ago."

"Which means I get to be the only girl in the room who has a guy with a hat!" Rebecca laughed. "I take it you ignored David?"

"No, I listened to him. Then I told him to watch me as I wore it anyways."

"Good. He takes our image too seriously anyways."

"The dance really has gotten him all worked up, hasn't it?"

"It always does," Rebecca said. "The dance floor is his kingdom. Everything has to be perfect."

"I see," I said. "Speaking of the dance floor, we should probably head in there before someone starts worrying about us."

* * *

><p>We walked into the crowded room. I immediately felt nervous. This is why I don't go to dances. I have no idea what to do! Fortunately the dancing hadn't really gotten underway yet, so I didn't have to deal with that problem at the moment.<p>

"So, ah, why don't we..." I searched for an acceptable suggestion.

"Talk to people?" Rebecca offered. "That's usually a good place to start."

"Sure, sounds good." Talking to people. That I can do.

We started a circuit around the room, running into various familiar faces as we did. we made sure to stop and talk to the various people we knew, most of them from various matches we'd fought in. I stopped to chat with Percy of PPLE, the last team to beat us in a match, to compare various teams and tactics while Rebecca talked with his date Arianna, whom I could barely remember as being from Team MAWV, before moving on.

I caught a death glare from Adelaide as Rebecca and I walked past her. She was standing by Wren from STRW. The poor boy looked completely out of his depth, even compared to me. I can at least kind of hide it, although that's mostly because I have two more years worth of experience.

"Hey Adelaide, how's your night going?" I asked with admittedly malicious intent. She just kept glaring at me. Well, me and Rebecca. Actually mostly at Rebecca. But she was definitely glaring.

"Come on Kevin, don't taunt her," Rebecca said, guiding me away from the blonde girl.

"Kevin! Rebecca!" Nyx and Miranda appeared from the crowd. Miranda was busy munching on some sort of fruit pastry while we all tried not to go blind looking at her extremely shiny dress.

"Hey Nyx!" Rebecca said. "Hey Miranda!"

"Ladies," I said, squinting to try and cut the glare from Miranda's dress. Did she have to stand right under the light?

"We weren't sure you two were going to come," Nyx said. She turned to Rebecca. "Well don't you look pretty, Red?" She turned to me. "Nice hat Kevin."

"Thanks. Why am I the only member of my team that you haven't given a nickname yet?"

"Because I can't find one I like!" she said. "She's Red." She pointed at Rebecca. "David's Axe-man. Lily's Flower Girl. But what do I call you? I haven't found anything I like! It's annoying!"

"Hey, is Drake here?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, although he doesn't have a date," Nyx said. "Lily?"

"Same," I said. "She turned down almost as many people as I did."

"Hah! Have you seen Adelaide yet?" Nyx asked. "She looked ready to explode when you walked in with Rebecca!"

"Yeah, we did. If looks could kill we'd both be piles of ashes by now," I said.

"She'll get over it," Nyx said.

"Yeah!" Miranda said through a mouthful of pastry. "Or we can tape her ankles to the ceiling!"

I blinked. Right. Miranda. "Okay then. We'll take that suggestion under advisement," I said.

"I think it's time we move on," Rebecca said to me. "See you later Nyx."

We wandered on, away from the odd couple of Nyx and Miranda. As we made our circuit, we spotted an empty table towards the back. "Would you like to sit for a minute?" I asked. It was a bit warm in the club, although that might be from all the people in one room.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Rebecca said. We sat down at the table.

"So... Punch?" I asked after a long minute of awkward silence.

"Oh, ah, yes, please."

I got up and started walking across the floor to where the refreshments were. As I stepped around a bundle of people talking, I ran across Conrad chatting with a pair of girls.

"...So that's how I beat him, you see? Of course Kevin won't admit it, and that faunus is in on it too, so no one knows I actually won."

"Are you talking about that time over Winter Break, Conrad?" I asked. The girls glanced up. "You want to know what really happened girls? I got well and truly tired of Conrad's antics so I decided to teach him not to mess with my team. Worked like a charm too, haven't had a problem with him since then."

"That's not what-"

"Conrad. Would you like to have that next fight I mentioned? Or, if you want, we can settle this in three weeks when our teams are set for a match. I wouldn't mind turning it into a series of duels. That way it might actually last long enough to be interesting." I smiled as I crushed his ego bit by bit. Okay, I have a bit of a mean streak, I admit it.

Conrad spluttered at me incoherently, his face turning interesting shades of red.

"Well, I need to go get some punch. Have a good evening, Conrad." I pushed past him, making my way over to the refreshments table and retrieving the punch. I looked back at the table. I could try my Semblance, but that was probably a bad idea. It does tend to avoid things that project an Aura, so I've never landed inside someone else, and even Toto is safe from me, but in a place this crowded... no. Bad idea. I reversed my direction, heading back to the table.

"I saw you stopped to talk with Conrad," Rebecca said as I handed her her punch.

"Oh, that. I just had to... correct his account of something," I said, sitting down across from her.

"I notice he lost his companions," Rebecca said.

"He did?" I glanced over. Conrad was now alone. "Oh well, I'm sure he can find new ones."

"I'm sure." We shared a smile at his misfortune. "The dancing's about to start," Rebecca noted.

"Um, I'm not much of a dancer," I said.

"Neither am I," she said, "but we should do at least one dance."

"Yeah, I guess we should," I said.

The quiet background music suddenly vanished, being replaced by the somewhat louder dance music.

"May I have this dance?" I asked formally. I may be awkward by nature, but formality always makes a good cover.

"You may," Rebecca said, taking my hand. Together, we stepped out onto the dance floor.

**A/N: The dance was originally supposed to be one chapter, but it was starting to get a bit long, so I split it up. There's at least one more chapter to this, maybe two. **

**To WildWolfForever, I make it a point to get the full, correct names of first time reviewers. After that though, I'll usually find a shorter version of the name to reduce the size of my A/Ns. I'll probably end up referring to you as Wild unless given a reason not to. Also, I've never heard of this book.**

**To the anonymous guest, the plot is beginning to thicken. Right now we're sort of stuck in side plot land, but the threads of the main plot are going to feature prominently in the next arc. **

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	37. The Dance: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

Rebecca and I slipped onto the dance floor as the first song started. Fortunately the first song was slow, traditional, and calm. In other words, something I could actually dance to. I carefully placed my hands in the proper positions on my partner as we started to slowly move across the floor. I glanced across the dance floor and caught sight of David and Dawn dancing together towards the middle of the floor. A little farther out, Nyx and Miranda spun in a circle together, Nyx letting the taller Miranda lead.

"Something wrong?" Rebecca asked.

"No, nothing," I said. "I'm just wondering where Lily is."

"She was talking with Drake last time I saw them," Rebecca said.

"Of course," I said. At this rate we were going to have to come up with a name for the eight of us when DMND and MRLD get together.

"Kevin? Are you still in there?"

I blinked. "Sorry, just...a little distracted. What was the question?"

"No question. You just seemed a little out of focus."

"Sorry, I'm back now." I stopped thinking and just focused on the dance and my partner. That was...actually easier done than said for once. She really did look amazing tonight, although I'm fairly certain I stepped on her feet at least once. A dancer I am not.

The first song ended, seguing into another slow dance so we stayed out on the floor. We could dance to this. So we did. The first...five songs? Ten? I wasn't paying much attention actually. Anyways, the first hour or so was a collection of these slower dances. They got faster and faster as the hour passed, but they never got too much for even an amateur like myself to lose track of. When the first hour ended and they switched over to a more energetic series of songs, Rebecca and I bowed out, heading back to our table.

"That was fun," Rebecca said, sipping her punch. "You're a better dancer than you give yourself credit for."

"Only on songs like the ones we were dancing to," I said. "I can slow dance. Anyone can do that."

"Yes, but you're pretty good at it."

"Well if you only have one dance you can do, you should at least be good at it," I said, blushing lightly. _Relax Kevin! It's just Rebecca! Why am I so nervous? _I glanced out at the dance floor. David and Dawn were busy making everyone feel inferior with their superior dance moves. Off on the left I caught a glimpse of Miranda and Nyx dancing as well. On the right, Lily was dancing with Drake. Well we do spend a good bit of time with DMND. I was starting to suspect we were about to spend even more with them. I could think of worse fates.

"So, um, food?" I suggested. The refreshments table was currently being ignored and we hadn't eaten yet.

"That sounds like a good idea," Rebecca said. We made our way over to the table and began to put together plates to take back to the table. I spotted a platter of those fruit pastries that Miranda had been eating earlier and grabbed two of them. They looked like the ideal dessert.

We made our way back to the table and sat down. "So..." I trailed off.

"So..." Well I suppose it was reassuring that she wasn't doing much better.

"Ah, you mentioned your family wanted to meet me," I said, trying to break the awkward tension. "What are they like?"

"Oh, well, there's my parents and my brother," Rebecca said. "My dad's a retired huntsman, he's the one who taught me how to fight."

"That sounds cool." I had to admit, having a super soldier for a parent did sound interesting.

"Yeah, it was. He has a bunch of pictures of his time with his team."

"And your mom?" I asked.

"She's a school teacher," Rebecca said. "Not like at Torch or Signal though. She teaches at an academic track school."

"What does she teach?"

"She teaches the sixth grade science course at South Vale Middle School."

"What about your brother?"

"Well, he's about eight years older than me," Rebecca said. "He takes after mom more than I do, so he's going to an academic college right now. He should be getting his final degree this year though."

"What's his major?"

"Engineering," Rebecca said. "He's planning to try and find work with the Schnee Dust Company when he graduates."

"Huh, sounds interesting."

"And what about you?" Rebecca asked. "What's your family like?"

"...You know I haven't seen them in almost four years, right?"

"I know, but I still want to hear about them."

"...Alright. Well, my dad died when I was nine, but he was... He was an amazing man. He was an engineer like your brother, and he used to work for the city we lived in. He was involved in the water department, so I learned everything I never wanted to know about pipes by the time I was seven."

"What was he like?"

"He was...dependable. He believed in a set of moral guidelines and he stuck to them. He was smart, strong, and generous. I... I still look up to him and he's been dead for ten years. A lot of people looked up to him. I bet a lot of people still do. He was...he wasn't an ordinary man," I said. "He was in a lot of ways larger than life. I know some of the reason I see him that way is because he's my father, but... He really was amazing."

"And your mom?"

"She's pretty amazing too. When my dad died, it was just her, me, and my little brother. It can't have been easy, but she stepped up and raised us by herself. I mean, not entirely by herself, we had some close friends who helped, but she did a lot of it herself. She kept us together through everything." I glanced aside. "I miss her."

"What about your brother?" Rebecca asked.

I gave a sad smile. "He's my younger brother by three years. He's annoying, loud, obnoxious, messy, and a massive pain in the butt. I miss him most of all I think. We drove each other crazy, but at the end of the day, we always watched out for each other. We even had a motto that we called the Brothers' Code. 'No one messes with my brother. No one but me.' I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," Rebecca said, putting her hand on mine. "You'll see him again, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>The dance dragged on. There was a second round of slow dances which got us back onto the dance floor for a bit, but when they ended we retreated to our table again. We talked about various things, ate, and just let the time pass. Suddenly the music switched to a much louder selection of aggressive songs.<p>

"Oh! The show's about to start!" Rebecca said. "Come on, let's get up to the balcony for a better view!" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the stairs.

"What show?" I asked.

"David!" Rebecca replied. "He'll be starting any minute now!" She pulled me up the stairs and over to a spot on the balcony that over looked the dance floor.

She was right. Down at the center of the room, David was just starting to get moving. Even Dawn took a step back as he got up to speed. For the next half hour all anyone in the room could do was stare in awe as David demonstrated exactly why he was the king of the dance floor.

"Is that even anatomically possible?" I asked as David pulled his next move.

"I...think so?" Rebecca said tentatively.

"I don't even... How is he flexible enough to pull these off?"

"I have no idea..."

"I see why you wanted to watch this..."

"Yeah..."

The music finally slowed to a stop and David followed suit. There was a moment of stunned silence, then the whole room broke into applause.

"That was something I never thought I would see," I said. "I'm glad I did. How does someone his size even...?" I shook my head helplessly. "Wow. Just...wow."

"I know. I've seen him do this five times now. It never gets old," Rebecca said.

"I didn't even know you could dance to that song," I said. "I've seen people work out to it, but dancing to it? Only David."

"He's certainly impressive."

I glanced around the second floor of the club, noticing an external balcony as well. "Hey, do you mind if I take a step outside?" I asked. "I just...I need a moment to clear my head."

"Sure," she said. "Go ahead."

I stepped out.

* * *

><p>I put my arms on the railing and leaned out to look down on the city. "Why is this so hard?" I asked, pressing me face into my hands. "Why do I have to like these people so much?"<p>

I wanted to go home. That was all I ever wanted! I didn't want to make friends in this world! I didn't want to have a team of people like MRLD! I didn't want people I'd be willing to give my life for! I just wanted to find my way home! Nothing else! Friends were just another inevitable source of pain when I did find a way home. I didn't want them!

Memories came unbidden to the surface. Old memories. _What you need isn't always what you want, _I could almost hear my father's voice.

I didn't want friends and I definitely didn't need them either! I needed to find a way home! "Why can't I just do it alone?" I asked. "Why do I have to care about these people?"

"Kevin?" I whirled to find Rebecca staring at me. "Are you okay?"

"...No. I'm not."

"Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"This! This is what's wrong!" I pointed at her and then myself. "I'm not from here! I want to go home! I didn't want to make friends here! I don't want anyone else to leave behind!"

"Kevin..." She reached out for me but I shied away.

"No! That's the problem! The more you try to help, the worse it gets! The harder it becomes for me to think about leaving Remnant! Ruby was bad enough, the thought of leaving her when I find a way home hurt enough on its own, but now? Now there's Dawn, Miranda, Nyx, Drake, all good friends! David and Lily, team mates and friends who I'd fight and die with without a second thought! And you, a team mate, a friend, my partner, and someone who I'd be willing to die for! I didn't want this! I didn't want any of this! I just wanted to be alone so I could leave without any more pain!" I broke down into tears. "I didn't want more people to leave behind," I sobbed.

"Kevin..."

I took a deep breath, forcing the tears back. "I'll...I'll see you later," I said. "I just...I can't be here right now." With that I activated my Semblance and vanished.

**A/N: Well. As Yang would say, that was a thing.**

**To Cyborg, ties are evil. Whose idea was it that we should put nooses around our necks? Seriously, that person needs to be shot. **

**To the anonymous guest, the hat thing was partly to show a bit of Kevin's personality, and partly because pretty much the exact same thing happened to me. Much like Kevin, I always wear a fedora with a suit. And yes, it's a fedora, not a trillby. Trillbies are another type of hat a lot of people mistake for fedoras, and they look stupid on anyone who doesn't have the physique of a stick figure. Kevin may be lightly built but even he can't pull off a trillby, especially not since he put on a lot of muscle at Signal.**

**That's all for now. There's going to be one more chapter to the dance, and maybe one more to serve as an interlude, and then it's off on their first mission!**


	38. The Dance: Part Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I sat on the steps of the arena, my hat on the ground beside me. The dance was still going and probably wouldn't be over for another hour or two. Hopefully everyone else could still have fun. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. Why did life have to be so hard?

"What are you doing back so soon?" Coco's voice came from behind me.

I didn't turn around. "Professor, I really don't feel like talking right now. Please, just leave me alone."

"Tough luck kid," she said as she sat down next to me. "You look like someone who's screwed up in a new and interesting way."

"I suppose you could say that," I grumbled.

"Well, do tell!"

"I have _friends_."

"Uh huh. Most people like having friends kid. Unless there's something wrong with your friends?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with them. There's nothing wrong with any of them!"

"Right. Still not seeing how this is a problem."

"The problem is that there is no problem. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh? And why not?"

"You don't know who I am, _what_ I am."

"Oh that? You're a human from another dimension, some place called Earth."

I turned and stared at her. "You know?"

She grinned at me. "You don't really do a very good job of hiding it. That, and I saw one of the essays you wrote for Doctor Oobleck."

"He showed it to you?" I asked, alarmed. I don't really try too hard to keep my secret, preferring to take refuge in the fact that it's to ridiculous to believe, but that doesn't mean I just want it shared about.

"No, of course not. He's not the sort of person to do that," Coco said. "I was borrowing his stapler and the essay was on his desk."

"And you believed it?" I asked.

"Kevin, I've known there was something weird about you from the moment we met. All that essay did was tell me what it was. So, now that that's out of the way, you mind telling me why not having any problems with your friends is a problem?"

"I just...I plan to go home as soon as I can. I want to go home. I haven't seen my family in almost four years. My brother turns seventeen next month. I want to leave Remnant, and I doubt I'll ever be able to return."

"Still not seeing the problem with having friends."

"You don't get it! Every friend I make in this world is one more person I have to leave behind when I make it back to Earth! I don't want to do that to them! I don't want to do that to me! I just want to find my way home without causing any more pain!"

"Ah. So your genius plan is to make yourself and everyone around you miserable now so that you're all less miserable at some vague and ill-defined point in the future which may or may not even happen. Brilliant."

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean-!" I glared at her. "You're making me sound ridiculous."

"You're making it far too easy for me to pass up. Kevin, you're making a mistake."

"I just don't want to hurt anyone!"

"You remind me of Ozpin, Kevin. Always planning for the future, always looking ahead to the next step. But Ozpin doesn't forget about the present like you are at the moment. Plan for the future, yes, but live for the present, because tomorrow never comes."

"I...I can't do that. I've spent my entire time in Remnant defining myself by my mission to go home. At this point, the future is all that I am."

"No it's not," Coco said. "Your friends are making you live in the present again. And that scares you. You're afraid of what'll happen when you stop defining yourself by where you're going."

"...I'm afraid I won't want to go home," I finished the train of thought. "That's exactly it. I have to go home. I have to let my family know I'm alive."

"And you will," Coco said softly. "But that doesn't mean you have to cut yourself off from the people who care about you here. Live for today Kevin. Enjoy it while you can because you may never get the chance again."

I took a deep breath. "Thank you, Professor. I...I think I understand."

She smiled at me. "Good. Now, I believe you have a dance to get back to."

"...You didn't find me by accident, did you?"

"'Course not! Ozpin asked me to talk to you. Said you needed a lesson."

"I swear, he knows everything. How does he do that?"

"Don't look at me, I have no idea how he does it either."

"Right." I stood up and brushed my suit back into place before putting my hat back into place on my head. "I have to go apologize to someone. With luck, you won't see me again until tomorrow. Thank you, Professor Coco."

"Just practicing my parenting skills. I have a three year old at home that I need to be ready for."

I smiled as I activated my Semblance, vanishing from the school.

* * *

><p>I quietly reentered the dance club, trying to avoid attention. I had to find Rebecca and apologize, but I had no idea where to look. I started with the table we had sat at, but she wasn't there. I searched the dance floor. No luck.<p>

"You." A hand like a shovel came down on my shoulder. "What did you do?" David's voice was a whisper, but I heard, no, felt, every syllable.

I turned and looked up into his face. He was glaring at me, and he had every right to do so. "I screwed up," I said honestly. "I screwed up in an amazing manner, and now I need to fix it. Do you know where Rebecca is?"

"She's out on the balcony, wondering exactly what _she_ did wrong."

"Thanks," I said. "I'm sorry for causing this."

"Fix it," he growled. "Or I will make you regret it."

I nodded. "I plan to." I used my Semblance to jump to the top of the stairs and made my way towards the balcony.

* * *

><p>I stepped out onto the balcony. Rebecca had her back to me, staring out at the city.<p>

"-stupid! Stupid!" she muttered to herself.

"Rebecca?" I asked, tentatively. She whirled around with a surprised squeak.

"Kevin! I thought you went back to Beacon!"

"I did. I'm...I'm sorry," I said. "I let myself get so wrapped up in the future that I forgot about what was right in front of me. I'm sorry."

"Kevin...did you really mean what you said? What you said about DMND, and David, and Lily, and me?" She looked confused.

"Every word. For better or worse, you guys are my friends, and I do care about you," I said. "I just forgot that was a good thing."

She threw her arms around me in a hug. "We care about you too Kevin. I know you have to leave someday, but until then..." She drew back and looked up at me. "Until then..."

"Until then..." I had no idea what I was doing at this point. I had my arms up behind her shoulders, her face less than a foot from my own. Live for today. Until tomorrow finally comes. Live for today. Words raced through my head without meaning. Acting on instinct, I leaned forward.

And kissed her. It lasted for several seconds before we broke apart.

"Uh, I, ah, I..." I could feel myself blushing, my ears burning.

"Um, I, ah, I..." Rebecca looked how I felt, her face turning the same color as her hair.

I pulled out of the hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I-" I cut off. I didn't mean to kiss her. Yeah. Of course I didn't. Which is totally why I did it. I'm a terrible liar.

"It's- It's okay," Rebecca said. "I..."

"I don't know what came over me there! I promise, it won't happen again!" I said in a hurry. Well this was turning out to be a great evening. You see? This is why I don't go to dances! Stuff like this always happens!

"No, no, it's fine," Rebecca said, just as quickly. "I just, I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

There was an awkward silence for several seconds. Then the sound of slow clapping came from the balcony entrance. I turned to see Nyx standing there.

"Nice work you two," she said. "Dawn owes me twenty lien."

"You were betting on this?!" I demanded.

"Of course we were!" Nyx said. "You've been acting nervous around her ever since Winter Break!"

"I have not!"

"Yes you have," Nyx said. "Everyone could see it. Well, everyone but you and Red there. She was just as bad though."

"I was not!" Rebecca protested.

"Please. The two of you were so obvious it hurt," Nyx grinned, showing her pointed teeth. "I'm the best gossip monger in the school, don't insult my abilities."

"That's not something to be proud of," I said, irritated.

"Ah, you're just mad that everyone saw this coming but you. Have fun you two!" She turned and vanished back into the dance club, presumably to collect on her wager.

"I'm going to kill her," I said.

"And Dawn," Rebecca said.

"Of course," I said. "So... do you want to go back down there?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

We made our way back down to the dance floor. The dance was heading towards an end and the music was winding down, but we danced until the songs died.

* * *

><p>"So, how was your night?" David asked. I shared a brief look with him.<p>

"Fine," Rebecca said. "It was...nice."

"Good," he said. His shoulders slumped slightly, the tension going out of them as he gave me one last look. "I'm going to go find Lily." He wandered off into the crowd.

"Ah, I'm sor-"

"Don't," Rebecca said firmly. "Don't apologize."

"Right. Uh... Did you have fun?"

"Yes. Yes I did," she said. "Thank you for asking me."

"You're welcome."

"So, how about we try that again?" she said, putting her hand on the side of my face.

"Huh? Try what again?" I asked. I really am clueless.

"This!" She pulled my head down and kissed me. My mind just shut down as she held me there. After a long moment, she let go and broke off.

"Uh, um, uh," I stammered. Yes, brilliant work on my part. The perfect response.

I heard a faint curse and turned to see Lily handing over some money to David.

"Oh come on!" I said. "Was _everyone_ betting on this?"

"Pretty much," David said.

Great. Just great.

**A/N: ...Okay, I honestly wasn't expecting that to happen until after the Summer Break. Still, d'awww.**

**To SoapiestAuto780, thanks. I have a lot planned for the story, and it's good to hear that what I'm doing is working.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	39. Resolution

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I woke up slowly on account of not having set the alarm clocks last night. It was Sunday so we didn't have anything we needed to do today, although there were some last minute preparations to make for our mission tomorrow, and because of the dance we were all up late last night. No sense in waking everyone up- Wait. The dance.

I suddenly burst into full awareness as the events of last night went through my head. Oh. Oh. Okay. That happened. Twice. Oh. Yeah. That.

Part of me immediately start trying desperately to find a way to put the whole thing behind me, behind us. I couldn't date someone from this world. I had to go home. There were too many differences between us. It would never work. It was a bad idea to date a team mate. Reasons and excuses were everywhere.

But another part of me was... interested. I liked Rebecca, both as a team mate and as a friend. I liked kissing her. She kissed me too. Maybe, maybe there was something here. Something worth pursuing.

No! I was not going to date someone I planned on leaving!

Live for the present, not some vague future!

I was rapidly giving myself a headache. Shoving the internal debate into a back corner of my mind, I got out of bed and looked around the empty dorm. They were probably all at breakfast. I checked the time. Make that lunch. Why does life have to be so complicated? Why does everything have to be so hard? And why am I having this conversation with myself in my pajamas? Pants. Pants would be a good place to start. I sighed and got dressed.

* * *

><p>I made my way down to the cafeteria in a daze. Food. The world would make more sense when I'd had something to eat. I hoped. Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately, no one from my team was in the cafeteria. I grabbed a sandwich and a soda and sat down, still dazed.<p>

The inside of my head felt like a battlefield as the debate in my mind continued. I needed to do something to clear my mind, something to let me focus long enough to deal with the world again. I finished my meal. I had to do something useful.

I activated my Semblance and teleported to the armory to pick up Molnair and Talon. I had an upgrade that I needed to finish installing on them anyways. I activated my Semblance, teleporting to the machine shop.

Lily's Dust bullets present was interesting, and I could see a lot of possibilities. They were too expensive to use in a school duel, but for a mission? The extra versatility would be welcome. The problem was figuring out how to use them without having to completely reload my weapons every time I wanted to switch ammo. This was why I was installing the secondary magazines, four in each weapon. They were much smaller than the main magazine, but I could switch between each of them and the main magazine with a series of simple movements from the control gauntlets.

I made the last connection and tested the various pieces. Everything worked smoothly. Good. This was the third design I'd come up with. It was about time I got it right. I nodded. I didn't expect us to run into anything that we'd need this against on our mission, but it never hurts to be prepared, just in case.

Now I just had to decide which types to bring with me. Ice was a good start. Lightning would also be good for ruining something's day. Double Burn bullets were a must of course. A bullet that explodes on contact with the enemy? Sign me up! Hmm, sonic bullets? Incendiary rounds? Both good options. Armor piercing was pretty much standard issue in this world, for all the good it did. Grimm armor is tough. Maybe there was something in the box for that too. I wondered if there were any acid rounds. That would be cool. Assuming acid rounds were actually a thing and I wasn't just making stuff up at this point in an effort to avoid returning to that mental debate I was having. Yeah, probably not a thing.

I sighed and folded up my weapons to take them back to my locker. My head was only slightly clearer now than it was before and I was fairly certain that was temporary. I stood up, picking up my weapons.

"Kevin?" Rebecca's voice came from behind me.

I jumped in surprise, almost dropping Talon as I spun to face her. "Oh. Rebecca."

"Kevin, I just..." She looked down. "I just...last night was...I just wanted to say, I'm not going to, to hold you to anything you did. If...if you want to just...forget what happened...that's fine. I... I understand."

No. I didn't want to forget what happened. What had been a bitterly fought two-sided debate in my head instantly turned into a one-sided rout when I saw her, just as confused as I was, but willing to let me make the decision. I wouldn't forget. I couldn't.

I put my weapons down and step forwards to hug her. "I don't want to forget what happened," I whispered.

"Kevin... I..." she cut herself off before continuing. "What does this, what does it make...us?"

"I don't know," I said. I wasn't ready to put a label on it just yet. It was like watching a tiny flame. So much as breathe on it and it could go out. "I don't know," I repeated. "But I want to find out. We'll figure this out. We'll figure it out together."

"Figure it out together," she said. "I like that."

* * *

><p>I dropped off Talon and Molnair at the armory and then we headed back to the dorm room. It was our last day before the mission and we all had various odds and ends that we wanted to deal with. I turned the last corner and pretty much ran Lily over before I even knew she was there.<p>

"Lily, I'm so sorry," I said, offering my hand and helping her back onto her feet as Rebecca came around behind me.

"Just watch where you're going," Lily grumbled. "I was looking for the two of you."

"What? Why?"

"There's some big announcement going on in the auditorium and we need to be there."

"Announcement?" Rebecca asked. "What's it about?"

"No idea," Lily said. "But Goodwitch is the one making it."

That wasn't a good sign. Goodwitch and Ozpin had a very well rehearsed good cop bad cop routine going. If Goodwitch was making an unscheduled announcement, then it was almost certainly bad news.

"How soon do we need to get there?" I asked.

"Five minutes," Lily said. "You're giving us a ride."

"Of course I am," I said. "You know, it's a good thing no one on the team is prone to nausea. That would get messy real fast." I took both girls' hands and activated my Semblance.

* * *

><p>We filed into the auditorium where David was waiting for us.<p>

"Hey, do you know what's going on?" I asked.

"No, but my guess is that it has something to do with the missions," he said.

"Makes sense," I said. "It's not like there's anything else big coming up."

"Hush!" Lily said. "She's about to start!"

Professor Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone on the stage. "Thank you all for coming. As you know, your first missions will begin tomorrow. However, with the rise in Grimm activity, there have been some safety concerns. Because of this, all first year teams will be accompanied by a pair of experienced Hunters instead of a single Huntsman or Huntress. In addition, all teams who plan to volunteer for a mission outside of Vale will be required to submit their requests today for approval. If you have any questions please speak to either Ozpin or myself. Dismissed!"

Most of the crowd started to disperse, but I could only stand in shock. _Safety_ concerns? This school _starts_ by launching its students into a Grimm infested forest with the distinct possibility of _death_! If the Grimm were getting bad enough to trigger a change in policy... This was insane.

"Kevin, are you still in there?" David asked.

I shook myself. "Sorry, I was just... Safety concerns? This is a combat school! Safety concerns should come with the territory!"

"I don't know, but we should head back to the dorm," David said. I didn't move. They all turned to look at me.

"Kevin, you can't seriously-" Lily started.

"Guys, I want to take a mission outside of Vale."

"Why?" Rebecca asked.

"We're the best team in our year," I said. "We have to set an example and step up to fight the Grimm. If we stay in the city, what will that say about us?"

"You can't be serious!" Lily said. "One minute you're talking about just how bad the risk must be, the next you want to just go out and take it?"

"Yes," I said. "It's because of that risk that we have to go. What if a team like STRW gets stuck with a mission outside of Vale? How many of them do you think will make it back? These missions have to be done, and we're the best choice for the job."

"There's more to this, isn't there?" David asked. "There's something you're not telling us."

"Yes, there is more to this," I said. "I haven't been outside of Vale since I got here. I know the answer to getting me home is out there, and I have to find it. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think we could handle it, but I won't deny I have personal reasons for this as well."

"Well at least it's not just your ego," Lily said. "Alright, count me in.

"I'll go too," David said. "You all need someone to watch your backs."

"We'll follow you, Kevin," Rebecca said.

"Thanks," I said. "I already have a mission in mind too." I walked over to the holographic application screen and pulled up the mission I was looking for.

"Never Spring Woods, Reconnaissance?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," I said. "It's a ways from Vale, but still close enough that the Grimm need to kept under control. It's always winter there, which means the larger, more powerful Grimm don't usually bother with the place, but Beowolf packs are common in the area, along with the occasional Ursa. Our mission will be to determine if there are enough Grimm to constitute a serious threat to Vale. If possible, we are to deal with the threat ourselves, but if things get out of hand we're supposed to retreat and wait for back up."

"Why there?" Lily asked. "You can't like the snow that much."

"No. It's the place where I appeared in Remnant, almost four years ago. If I'm going to find the answers I need to get home, that'll be where I find them."

**A/N: The main plot threads surface again! What could possibly have the Grimm so riled up? Will Kevin find anything in Never Spring? And who will they be assigned to? Who indeed.**

**To Blue, Kevin was oblivious, although that was actually kind of deliberate on his part. Rebecca was more shy than oblivious.**

**To TehUnoman, that sounds about right. Or it would if anyone was stupid enough to make any bets with Ozpin at this point. Never bet against Ozpin. Just don't. It's a good way to lose money.**

**To Fourze, I'm going to respond to your review of chapter thirty four here as I think this is important. Kevin is ferociously smart. I could just tell you that, but that would be boring and you wouldn't believe it anyways, so instead I'm doing my best to show how he thinks, how his mind works. He's brilliant, and he thinks very, very quickly, but it's still something most people can follow, even if it can be a bit hard to keep up. Although, I do occasionally have to remind him not to think in German, given that he's more fluent in the language than I am. Don't ask me how that works because I have no idea.**

**That's all for now! See you all next chapter!**


	40. Mission: Part One

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Hey Kevin!" I turned to see Dawn heading towards us, the rest of DMND behind her. "I heard you guys signed up for a mission outside of Vale as well."

"Yeah, we did," I said. "We're actually heading to meet our hunters now."

"Do you know who you're matched up with yet?" Darke asked.

"No, we haven't heard anything yet," David said. "I hear you've been placed with some of Professor Coco's old team mates though."

"Yep," Nyx said. "The Bunny and the Bear."

"She means Huntress Velvet and Huntsman Yatsuhashi," Dawn said, aiming a repressive look at Nyx. "Who she will refer to as such during our mission."

"Aw, but her names for them are so much more fun!" Miranda said.

"Which is exactly why we will not be using them," Dawn said. "And I don't care that Professor Coco liked the nicknames either. We will refer to them with the proper respect."

It takes a very brave, or very foolish, person to argue with Dawn when she's set her mind to something. DMND might be brave, but even they weren't that brave.

"Well, sounds like you should have a good time," I said. "Don't let any Grimm get you or I will never forgive you."

"Same to you," Dawn said. "See you back here in a week."

"We'll be there," I said. "I still need to kill you and Nyx for that bet."

"If you're going to go there, you're going to end up killing everyone you know," Drake said. "I hear Professor Peach owes Professor Coco over a similar bet."

"The faculty was in on it too?" I demanded. "Is nothing sacred?" He opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "No, don't answer that. I don't want an answer. Anyways, we should get going. We don't want to keep our Hunters waiting." I held out my hand and Dawn took it in a firm grip. "Good luck."

"You too. Keep that big idiot of yours safe for me too," she smiled at David. "He and I still have unfinished business to deal with."

"Should we let you guys have some privacy?" I asked.

"No, no, just hurry on to your mission." She grinned and turned her back to us. "I'll see him when you get back. Now shoo!" She lead her team off towards one of the other landing pads. I noticed some last minute significant eye contact between Lily and Drake as they left. Great. Love Amongst the Gemstones. That's probably the title of a movie somewhere.

"Let's go," I said. "We have a mission to get to."

* * *

><p>The landing pad was at the end of a long paved strip. A tilt jet sat there, waiting for us. In front of it stood two figures, a tiny one in white and a taller one in black and red.<p>

"You have got to be kidding me," I said in absolute disbelief.

"Is that...?" Rebecca asked.

"Yep," David said.

Lily looked like she was about two seconds away from squealing with delight.

"Alright MRLD, looks like we're working with Ruby and Weiss. Lily, no fangirling."

"I do not fangirl!"

We all just looked at her in silence.

"I don't!"

"Just don't do anything that would annoy Weiss," I said with a sigh. "Let's go break the news." I started down the path towards the tilt jet, my team following behind me.

* * *

><p>"It'll be fine," Ruby said to Weiss.<p>

"Ruby, you're not taking this-" Weiss stopped as she noticed us coming towards them. Her eyes widened slightly.

Ruby was far more demonstrative. "Kevin!" She rushed over and hugged me. Weiss gave me her traditional glare. "You're the team coming with us to Never Spring?" Ruby asked.

"Yep. That's us," I said. "I wasn't expecting to see you two though."

"Ruby likes to go out to Never Spring at least once a year," Weiss said. Part of me wanted to ask why, but I figured it wasn't really any of my business. "So we volunteered for this mission. Why are you here?"

"Kevin says this is where he arrived in Remnant," Rebecca said.

"Yep!" Ruby said. "We found him there!"

"Half-frozen and almost a free snack for a Grimm," Weiss said bitingly.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to get yanked into another world!" I said. "And I definitely didn't expect to get yanked into a place where it's always Winter, find myself facing a wolf monster that wanted to eat me, and to have my natural hair color change!"

"Your hair color changed?" David asked.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Back in my world, my hair was brown, but when I came here, it turned green for no goddamn reason."

"I can't see you with brown hair," Rebecca said.

"Trust me, I had brown hair," I said.

"And you don't know why your hair changed colors?" David asked.

"No. It would have made at least a little sense if it happened after Ruby unlocked my Aura, but no! It happened before I even met them!"

"Well it's good thing it did!" Ruby said. "That was how I found you!"

"You saw my hair?"

"There's no green in Never Spring," Ruby explained. "It kinda stood out."

"Saved by my inexplicable permanent hair dye job. Right. I forgot this was me we're talking about."

"Ruby's the one who unlocked your Aura?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," Weiss said irritably. "It was the only way to keep him from freezing to death on the way to Vale. Can we go now?"

"We're ready to go whenever you are!" Lily said eagerly.

* * *

><p>"You know what we're doing out here, right?" Weiss asked as we rode in the tilt jet.<p>

"Of course we do," I said. "I did read the mission briefing. Twice in fact. Our job is to monitor the area for unusual Grimm activity, and to reduce the Grimm population while we're at it. There are a few other odds and ends in the briefing, but most of those are highly situational instructions which are unlikely to be necessary. I have the briefing on my scroll if you'd like to read it yourself." I pulled up the file.

"I've already read it!" Weiss said. "I helped write it!"

"Ah. In that case, that's supposed to be 'too', not 'two'." I pointed at the offending mistake. Weiss just glared at me before pointedly putting her back to me. Okay, maybe twitting her wasn't the best idea, but it was how we interacted, at least when Ruby wasn't there to make sure we behaved. Right now though, Ruby was in the cockpit as the copilot, so she couldn't hear a thing.

"Kevin, are you trying to get us sent back to Beacon?" Lily hissed at me.

"Lily, if Weiss and I ever get along it will be a miracle," I said. "She's cold, irritable, and hostile. There's a reason she's called the Ice Queen."

"I'm right here," the Ice Queen in question said.

"I know," I said.

"Kevin, please stop," Rebecca said.

"Alright, but only because you asked."

"Kevin!"

* * *

><p>Forests trapped in never ending Winters generally don't have landing pads, and Never Spring wasn't an exception. When we reached the drop point, Weiss just jumped out of the tilt jet, performing a perfect three point landing in the snow. Ruby followed suit by flipping out of the cockpit.<p>

"I guess that's our cue," I said. "Let's go." Normally I'd just teleport to the ground, but hey, skydiving, sort of. Lily jumped first, performing a flip on her way down.

"It's a good thing those combat skirts have that stuff in them," David said.

"Agreed," I said. Given how much vertical motion Remnant combat entails, it was a very good thing indeed. I may be a guy, but I'm perfectly happy not seeing up someone's skirt. That's Drake's thing.

"It's called crinoline," Rebecca said. "It's one of the reasons I stick with pants." With that she jumped out, one upping Lily with a corkscrewing flip.

"Okay then," I said to David. "You've got the bags?"

"Yeah, right here." He held up a trio of bags which contained most of our camping gear.

"Then let's let this pilot go home." We jumped out together, not bothering with any fancy acrobatics. Hey, between Molnair and Talon I have the heaviest weapons on the team, and David had his hands full. Acrobatics just weren't happening. We landed in the snow, quickly shaking it off as we rose to out feet.

"Alright team MRLD! And Weiss." Ruby announced in what I'd heard Yang call her 'leader voice'. "Our first order of business is to find shelter! We will be out here for a week and it will be cold! We need to find a centrally located and defensible campsite to stay at!"

I pulled out my scroll, thankful that I'd remembered to download a map of the place before hand. Getting connection out here was about as likely as finding an Apatosaurus walking around. Granted it wasn't very much of a map, only defining a few large clearings and the boundaries of the forest, three-quarters of which were cliffs to begin with. I showed the map to David. "Can you figure out where we are right now?"

He looked at it for a moment, then nodded. A few seconds of him standing motionless and he pointed to one of the southern clearings. "We're here. If we're looking for a secure and sheltered base of operations, there's a small cave system about two thirds of a mile to our North East."

"How-?" Weiss asked, clearly surprised.

"David's Semblance is his senses," Lily said. Actually, it was more than that, or at least, I was fairly certain it was more than that. To start with, David doesn't have five senses, he has eight, or at least, eight that I'm certain of. All of the usual senses, plus the ability to detect electrical fields, the ability to detect Aura, even locked or inactive Aura, and the ability to detect Dust. I was also convinced that he had what amounted to supernatural awareness of his immediate surroundings that exceeded even his senses, but I couldn't prove it.

"It's easier out here," he said. "Out here, there aren't as many distractions." He stared off to the North East. "There is a medium sized Beowolf pack between us and the cave system," he said. "Twelve of them."

"Then we'll have to kill them," Ruby said in her eternally cheery voice. "Show us what you can do."

**A/N: I am now annoyed with whoever put together the dictionary for this site's autocorrect. Fun story, Apatosaurus is apparently wrong despite being a real dinosaur. The recommended replacement? Brontosaurus. Brontosaurus isn't real. It's the result of a scientific mistake involving someone putting the head of a Brachiosaurus (also wrong according to the autocorrect) on an Apatosaurus body. So the real dinosaurs are wrong, but one of the most famous mistakes in paleontology is right. I am not amused.**

**To TehUnoman, that would be funny, but no. I have too much planned to put in a Deus ex Machina like that.**

**To SoapiestAuto, writing quickly is one of my quirks, and it's not something I can do, but rather something I have to do. If I wander away from a story for as little as a week I have a hard time picking it back up again. As for how I write each chapter... I really don't. My main talent is in creating characters, not writing. I "write" by taking my characters, putting them in situations, and then watching what happens. This is why Kevin and Rebecca's first kiss got moved up by something like twenty chapters. The characters decided it was the appropriate time, so it happened.**

**That's all for now, see you all next chapter.**


	41. Mission: Part Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

I love Beowolves. I really do. I'm even willing to forgive the one that almost killed me when I first got here. Why? Well I'll tell you. Ursai are armored and strong. Death Stalkers are heavily armored, strong, and have a lot of pointy ends. Arachnoi are armored, strong, fast, and have a lot of pointy ends. King Taijitu are just weird and even harder to kill than most Grimm are. Boarbatusks are armored and can spin dash. And Nevermores can fly. But Beowolves? Beowolves are _squishy_.

"Dibs on the big one," David said as we came in sight of the pack. "And his friends I guess."

"I call the one with the cracked mask," Lily countered. "And the two with the weird fur."

"I'll take the three on the right," Rebecca said.

"I guess I'm clean up then," I said. "Let's do this."

We charged.

* * *

><p>David charged directly at the largest of the 'wolves, his axe spinning in his hand. The Beowolf in question was an imposing specimen at just over seven feet tall. David was an even more imposing specimen at seven foot four plus an extra six inches of giant blue afro atop his head. He also had the largest axe I've ever seen outside of a video game.<p>

The Beowolf charged to meet him.

David raised his axe over his head and brought it down in a two-handed strike that cut the monster in half vertically. He then spun the axe into a single-handed horizontal attack that cut another Beowolf in half at the waist before taking full advantage of his ambidexterity to pass the axe to his left hand before using the flat of the axe to smash his third target into a vaguely Beowolf shaped smear in the snow.

To his left Lily rushed forward, rapier in hand. Her first target, the Grimm with the cracked face mask, attempted to catch the tiny white girl with his claws. For his trouble, she embedded a third of her sword in his eye before pulling back to face the two grey-furred Grimm. Most Grimm are black, but these ones were grey. It's not unheard of, just unusual. It certainly doesn't affect their behavior in any case.

The two weird Grimm charged at her, claws outstretched. Lily ducked and slid under them, triggering the selector on Echino. The Beowolves turned just in time to be greeted by a jet of fire from the girl they tried to kill. They died with an almost musical scream.

I snapped out Molnair's blade as I met my first target. It swung at me, and I resolved that immediate problem by removing its hand at the wrist. I then closed in and punched it in the jaw, activating Talon's ram a split second before impact. The ram is capable of putting a hole in Death Stalker armor. The Beowolf's head vaporized from the impact. There was a hissing sound as the spike retracted back into place for another strike.

Acting on the warnings my Aura was giving me, I jumped, clearing the Grimm that would have tackled me. I spun in midair and brought my machine guns to bear. Semi-automatic fire. Standard ammunition. One shot from each of four barrels. The monster hit the ground in a heap, four holes through the upper torso. I snapped out Talon's spike in dueling mode as I landed in front of my third opponent. It made the mistake of stopping to growl at me. I rushed forwards and stabbed it with both weapons, then spread my arms to literally tear it in half.

Rebecca hit her first target with an elbow strike to the chest. Before it could respond she spun to her left, throwing out both arms. From her right arm, she fired a single dart that impacted another Grimm in the face before releasing the Lightning Dust contained within it. Her left arm swung in an arc that drove her forearm, and the metal shell of her weapon, into the throat of the Grimm she hit with the elbow strike. It's windpipe was completely crushed and it collapsed, unable to breath.

The final Beowolf charged at Rebecca from behind so she launched into a corkscrewing backflip that resulted in her feet landing on a convenient tree. She pushed off of that tree into another flip and her feet impacted at the base of the Beowolf's spine. There was a crunching sound as the bones, both external and internal, broke, and the monster went down, paralyzed. Rebecca landed on her feet before calmly walking over to the squirming paralyzed Beowolf. She brought her leg up in an arc over her head and then back down in a brutal axe kick that broke its neck.

"Great work MRLD!" Ruby said. "Now, on to the cave!"

We continued our journey, leaving the rapidly dissolving corpses of twelve Beowolves behind us.

* * *

><p>Another ten minutes of walking brought us to the site where David said the caves were. I saw nothing but snow, snow, and more snow, but I knew better than to question David.<p>

Weiss did not. "Where's this 'cave system' you said was here? It's just another hill!"

"Relax, oh ye of little faith," I said. "David, where's the entrance?"

"Weiss is standing in front of it."

"Yeah right!" Weiss snarked, but she moved aside anyways.

David walked forwards and brushed away some of the snow. Rather than revealing dirt beneath it, there was just more snow. He kept digging.

"Great!" Weiss said. "You've found a giant snow pile!"

David backed off a bit. "Lily, would you mind?"

"Sure," she said, bringing up Echino, still in fire mode. A jet of orange roared out and punched a hole in the snow drift, revealing darkness on the other side.

"Good, the snow's not too deep," David said. He started digging again. I stepped forwards to help him. Soon we had an opening large enough for even David to pass through comfortably. "Flashlight," he said. I pulled one out of the packs and he took it, entering the cave. I followed just behind him, leaving the girls on the surface.

* * *

><p>The cave system turned out to be exactly that, a cave system. The one we tunneled into was long and narrow, but at the back it split off in two directions. The right branch of the tunnel lead to another snowed-shut entrance while the left lead down a bit into a cavern about three times the floor space of our dorm and a good bit higher. A faint whistling from above indicated the presence of a small hole near the top. It was more of a crack really, being too small for a person, but it did let in enough air that we weren't suffocating inside the cave. Another small cave branched off from the large one, as well as another tunnel ending in a pile of snow. Best of all, the caves were completely unoccupied.<p>

We returned to the surface to an expectant crowd.

"Well?" Weiss demanded.

"You guys have to see this," I said. "It's perfect. Come on, come in!"

* * *

><p>We quickly set up camp. The flashlights proved to be insufficient, but Rebecca had a new illusion. A lightbulb which didn't exist and had no powersource to speak of hung from the ceiling of the main cavern, giving us enough light to work with. We laid out the sleeping bags in a circle and then went about building a fire both for warmth and to take the burden of lighting off Rebecca.<p>

"So, who wants dinner?" I asked as I finished unpacking our supplies.

* * *

><p>I volunteered for first watch. I had a lot on my mind at the moment, and bothering Weiss could only distract me for so long. I sat with my back to the fire, facing the tunnel we'd entered through and watching for sign of movement. it didn't seem likely, given that we half-buried the entrance when we were done getting firewood.<p>

I actually felt slightly bad for using the trees of Never Spring for firewood. The trees themselves dated back to a time when Never Spring's unusual weather patterns hadn't formed yet. When the area fell under Winter's permanent grip, the trees went into hibernation. They were still alive, in a sort of cryogenic suspension, and they were believed to be the oldest living things in the world with most estimates placing them at around ninety thousand years old. Older than the entirety of human history in Remnant and Earth combined. Older than the Faunus. Possibly even older than the Grimm, and depending on your definition, older than Humanity. It was both humbling and amusing. Humbling because of the sheer scope of history, and amusing because we were using it as firewood. Ninety thousand year old fire wood.

I couldn't help it, but the thought of ninety thousand year old fire wood was far too amusing. I let out a short laugh which echoed off the walls before it died.

"Kevin?" Rebecca's voice came from my right.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," I said. "Go back to sleep."

"No, I wasn't asleep."

"Having a hard time?"

"A bit." She looked at the fire. "I'm...doing better about the Grimm now, but..."

"They still scare you?" I asked.

"Yes."

"They scare me too," I said. "I was almost killed by one. They're soulless monsters that prey on humanity. They should scare us."

"But..."

"Rebecca, don't tell me we should be brave enough not to fear them. That's not bravery, that's stupidity. They're dangerous. We fear them for good reasons, and that fear is one of the reasons we survive. Bravery isn't a lack of fear. You're one of the bravest people I know."

"I...thanks.

"Now get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

"...Kevin?"

"What?"

"Could you...tell me a story? From your world?"

"You want to hear about my world?" I asked. "What would you like to hear about?"

"No, I don't want to hear a story about your world. I'd like it if you told a story from your world. Something you were told when you were little."

"A bedtime story, huh? Okay, let me think." I cast about for a story that I knew well enough to tell. Huh. That might work. "Alright, back in my world there's a place called Kansas. Um, do you know what a tornado is?"

"I think so," she said. "They're really rare storms that spin in a circle, right?"

"In Vale, yes, but Vale's surrounded by hills that make it hard for tornadoes to form. Kansas is very flat, and it's part of a place called Tornado Alley. They get a lot of tornadoes, and they can cause a lot of damage. So, in Kansas, there lived a girl named Dorothy..."

**A/N: Story time! Yes, David is naturally ambidextrous. Lily is left-handed like Weiss, and both Rebecca and Kevin are naturally right handed, although Kevin has effectively trained himself to be ambidextrous. This actually dates back to when he was on Earth, as he broke his right arm on two separate occasions and had to use his left hand for everything. **

**To Madninja324, Ruby ate my last one about a week ago, and she refuses to share hers.**

**To the anonymous guest, I don't know either. My solution is to stop asking and just go with it. Although, it might have something to do with the cookies...**

**That's all for this chapter, see you all next chapter!**


	42. Mission: Interlude

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"...and Dorothy woke up back in her house in Kansas," I concluded. Somewhere along the line this changed from me telling a story to my... whatever Rebecca and I were at this point, to me telling a story to the entire mission. Even Weiss was paying attention, although she tried to hide it.

"Thanks for telling the story Kevin," Rebecca said. "Although you could have just said you didn't know any instead of making one up."

"I didn't!" I protested. "It's a famous story in my world!"

"Kevin, you didn't even try to hide it," Rebecca said with a smile. "It was based on us. You're Dorothy, I'm the Cowardly Lion, Lily is the Scarecrow, David's the Tin Man, Ozpin is Oz, and Glynda is, well, Glynda."

I blinked. "That's...actually a really weird coincidence. I mean, I realized that Ozpin and Glynda matched the story, that's why I named the kitten Toto in the first place, but I didn't think about it matching us," I said. "But I didn't make it up, honest. It's an extremely famous story in my world."

"I think he's telling the truth," David said. "But it is weird that it's so similar."

"I wonder if there are any more people like that," Ruby said. "People who match stories from your world."

"Ruby, this is just a coincidence!" Weiss snapped. "The odds of there being any more are-"

"Surprisingly good actually," I said, cutting Weiss off. "There's three of them in this cave right now, and five different stories between them."

"What? Who?" Ruby asked.

"Well let's start with David, whose name and size match the story of David and Goliath, although in that story David is a small man and Goliath is the giant."

"What's that story about?" David asked.

"Simple version, it's about a small and weak man defeating a much larger and more dangerous opponent," I said. "Sort of like how Lily can beat you in a duel."

"She's hard to hit."

"Just a bit, although it would help if you had a smaller weapon, but I digress. Moving on." I turned my attention to Ruby. "You have two stories attached to you, although I'll wait on the second one. The first is Little Red Riding Hood, although that's mostly because of your cloak."

"What's my story about?" Ruby asked.

"More or less about not trusting strangers. Little Red Riding Hood wasn't exactly smart. Your second story though is one that you and Weiss actually share."

"We have a story together?" Ruby squealed in delight. "What's it called?"

"Snow White and Rose Red," I said. "I've never actually read it though, so I can't tell you what it's about."

"I take it the last two stories are about me?" Weiss said in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, and in both cases the link is from your name. Well, your name and your nickname."

"If you call me Snow Angel I will-"

"Chill, Ice Queen. Why don't we start with that one? The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Anderson, one of my favorite stories when I was little."

"And what is that story about?"

"Ummm...Well the Snow Queen is sort of the villain. I guess the main theme is the power of innocence. That's what seems to get the main character out of trouble most of the time."

"Innocence?" Weiss looked downright offended. "What's so powerful about innocence?"

"Oh c'mon Weiss, it's just a story," Ruby said as she sidled over to sit next to the heiress. Weiss tried to maintain her stern demeanor but failed spectacularly as Ruby put her head on the white haired girl's shoulder.

"That," I said pointing at Ruby. "That's what's so powerful about innocence. Moving on. Your third and final story is pretty much a pun on your name. It's Snow White, no relation to Snow White and Rose Red, which in the original German is Schnee Weiß, if you do a word by word translation. And before you ask what it's about, it's mostly about vanity, not trusting creepy strangers, and... Yeah, that's about it."

"Are you saying my name comes from a language in your world?" Weiss asked, annoyed.

"Not exactly, but the spelling is virtually identical. It would be the same if English used the esszet."

"Are there any more people and stories you can think of?" Ruby asked, her curiosity overwhelming Weiss's protests.

"...Actually yes," I said. "If we want to stick with the theme of fairy tales, I suppose Blake could be Belle from Beauty and the Beast." Ruby and Weiss stared at me. "Although that's kind of weak," I said. "It's mostly just because of her last name, and even that's weak." Ruby and Weiss relaxed a bit. "Unless she was dating a Faunus named Adam or something." The stares were back. Okay. Time to move on. "As for Yang, well her name's Chinese, so I have no idea what it means, but she could be either Rapunzel or maybe Goldilocks. She has Rapunzel's hair, but I think her personality is closer to Goldilocks's."

"Yang does like her hair..." Ruby said quietly.

"There's a few more, although they're not all from stories. Jaune Arc reminds me of Joan of Arc, a famous French heroine who saved their country. And who was later burned to death at the stake for witchcraft."

Various people recoiled.

"Middle ages, not a fun time to be alive," I said. "Civilization in that part of my world sort of vanished for about a thousand years. Joan was far from the only person to be burned at the stake."

"Oh," Lily said.

"Anyways, back to stories," I said. "I suppose I could come up with a few more about people, but the easier ones are the Grimm. First off, their name."

"What about their name?" Rebecca asked. "They're the Grimm. They're grim."

"Well yes, but it could mean the Brothers Grimm, who collected a huge number of fairy tales into one place for the first time, including Rapunzel, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood, along with a lot of other stories."

"You have people in your world named Grimm?" Lily asked. "That's really weird."

"Yep. Beowolves, well Beowulf was a famous hero of...the Anglo-Saxons I think. Very old story. Another childhood favorite of mine."

"But...Beowolves are monsters, not heroes," Ruby said.

"It's just a coincidence!" Weiss snapped.

"Maybe," I said. "Moving on. Ursa means bear in Latin, so I think that one's fairly simple."

"I thought you only knew German," David said.

"I don't know Latin," I said, "but Ursa is in the name of two of my world's constellations, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. There's also King Taijitu. The name's definitely Chinese so I don't know what it means, but the black and white two headed theme is reminiscent of the concept of Yin and Yang."

"There'd better not be something for Nevermores..." Weiss muttered darkly.

"Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,  
>By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,<br>'Though they crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, 'art sure no craven,  
>Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore-<br>Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'"  
>I paused to grin at Weiss. "Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore.'"<p>

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"A poem, or rather part of one," I said. "I had to memorize it for school a long time ago. I still remember a few of the verses. It's called The Raven, and its most famous line is the repeated 'Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."' It's a very depressing poem."

"The name almost makes sense that way..." Ruby said quietly.

"It's weird that there's so many things like this connecting your world to this one," David said.

"It is," I said. "You'd almost think it was deliberate on someone's part. Believe me, I've thought about it before."

"What do you think it means?" Rebecca asked.

"Well it could just be a coincidence," I said. "They do happen."

"And what do you really think it means?" David asked. I blinked, startled by the direct question. "Come on Kevin, I know you think there's more to it than coincidence."

"Alright, yes I do," I said. "I think it means I'm not the only, or even the first, person from my world to end up in Remnant. That means what happened to me wasn't a one-time occurrence, and it may even go in both directions."

"You think it means there's a way for you to go home," Rebecca said.

"Yes," I said. "That's exactly what I think. Even if there's no way for me to prove it."

"Well maybe we'll find something out here," Rebecca said.

"Maybe," I said. "In a way, I've come full circle in this world, returning to the place I came from." I paused. "Actually, that might be a good idea. Ruby, do you remember where you found me?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I'd like to go there tomorrow. Maybe there'll be a clue there."

"You're here on a mission!" Weiss said. "Not to look for 'clues'!"

"Weiss, it's not like we're not going that direction anyways," Ruby said.

"We are?" I asked.

"We are," Weiss said.

"Why?"

"There's something I need to do in that place too," Ruby said, unusually somber.

I didn't ask. "Well, in that case," I checked my scroll. "My watch is over, so Lily, you're up. I'm going to get some sleep. See you all in the morning." I crawled into my sleeping bag and promptly passed out.

**A/N: For some reason this chapter was a real pain to write in spite of being both short and partially filler. Okay, mostly filler. Okay, pretty much all filler. Real life was partially responsible, but the writing was just a pain for some reason. No idea why. **

**To Cyborg, that's an interesting idea, but I don't think it's all that realistic. The team consists of six people who, even by Remnant standards, are pushing superhuman. Two of them are experts at what amounts to elemental magic, and one of them can teleport. It would take a full scale blizzard to do much worse than inconvenience them. **


	43. Mission: Part Three

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

Being in an entirely natural environment does weird things to me, some of which have to be seen to be believed. For example, on the second day of our mission, I was the first to rise for the day, startling Lily who had taken the pre-dawn watch. I got up and slowly moved around in the dark of the cave, careful not to step on anyone. I made my way over to our pile of firewood and dragged some over to the smoldering coals of last night's efforts.

This may seem weird for a geek like myself, but I've always like camping. Every year for as long as I could remember my family had taken a two week long camping trip over the summer. I'm no boy scout, but my father was so I know how to set up a camp. I'm fairly good with knots and barely passable at finding water, but ever since I was eight I was in charge of the fire, a job I earned after starting a fire in a rather persistent drizzle. Yes, I have a slight bit of pyromania in me. Everyone does though. You do too, don't lie to yourself. And why not? Fire, when controlled, is the ultimate power tool. It changed humanity in ways that we can't even understand. It is only right to be fascinated by it.

I shook my head. I'm not usually this... I'm not sure what the word is, but philosophical isn't it. Whatever, I'm not usually like this in the morning. I blamed the environment, and got back to work on the fire. The wood had thawed slightly from last night, which now meant it was merely damp instead of icy, and therefore within my mundane abilities to start fires without requiring Dust.

Another thing about me. I can't cook with a stove, an oven is worse, I've melted griddles, and I've set fire to pots. But I can cook over a camp fire. I refer to it as a case of selective technical incompetency, which has absolutely nothing to do with my slight and unrelated case of pyromania. I can't make anything complicated, or really anything all that interesting, but I can do it fairly well.

So it was that the rest of the mission woke to find me cooking bacon for breakfast.

"Is...is Kevin _cooking_?" David asked.

"Yes," Lily said.

"Aura preserve us," David said. That's right, I'd forgotten he was an Aurist. Aurism is probably the single most common religion amongst Hunters, and it's basically Remnant's version of Animism. And, like Animism, it's one of, if not the, oldest religions in the world. By some estimates it actually predates Dust by something like six thousand years.

"If that's your opinion then I guess you don't want any," I said. "It's actually pretty good."

"...You haven't set fire to anything yet?"

"Nothing I wasn't trying to set fire to," I said. Both David and Rebecca looked at me skeptically.

"I'm serious!" I said. "I know I can't cook under most situations, but this is the one and only way I know how to do it."

The skeptical stares didn't so much as twitch.

"Okay then, more for me," I said, shrugging.

* * *

><p>After breakfast (apparently they weren't <em>that<em> skeptical) we made our way to the entrance. The snow had shifted during the night, covering the entrance in a fresh layer of white powder, for which I was rather grateful. It might have posed a problem to someone with locked Aura, but between David and myself, we simply pushed the pile over, leaving the path clear for us to step out into the snow. Really all it had done was help keep us hidden from the Grimm.

"We should bury the cave again," Lily said as Weiss and Ruby followed the rest of us out. "That way Grimm can't get in."

"What if we can't find it again?" Rebecca asked.

"David should be able to locate it," I said. "After all, he found it from almost a mile away. If he can't find it, my memory should do the trick." I've long since trained myself to achieve full spatial awareness and memory on almost an eidetic level. It's an absolute necessity for my Semblance. Of course it would be a lot easier if I had David's senses too, but I guess you can't have everything. "Huntresses Ruby and Weiss, do you have anything to add?" I asked.

Weiss had a pad of paper out and was clearly taking notes, but Ruby just shook her head. "We're here to watch you, not tell you what to do," the scythe woman said.

"Alright then," I said. I took a breath before giving my next order. "We bury it, let's get to work."

* * *

><p>"Ruby, you said you knew where we were going?" I asked.<p>

"Yes, follow me!" She set off at a leisurely pace to the east, heading straight for one of the cliffs. Leisurely pace for her that is. For the rest of us it was a light run.

"So, Kevin," Lily asked. "What's out here that Ruby's so interested in?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I kind of assumed it was just luck that she was out here when I showed up. It certainly saved my life."

"Weiss said she comes out here once every year," Rebecca said. "There's probably a reason."

"Yes, but why here?" Lily asked. "There's nothing out here!"

"Nothing that we know of," David said.

I turned to look at him. "Is there something you would like to share with the group?"

"Aside from the existence of an Ursa about six hundred yards to our right, no," David said.

Ruby spun out Crescent Rose, aimed at the Ursa in question, and fired, all without even slowing down. It fell, dead. Ruby put Crescent Rose back on her belt. Time elapsed, three seconds.

"Whoa..." Lily said, shocked.

"It's not that impressive!" Weiss said as she glanced down at her note pad.

"Tsundere," I said. My team laughed. Weiss glared at me. I grinned.

* * *

><p>We reached a frozen pond and came to a stop. After a moment I recognized it as the place team RWBY had been camping when I met them.<p>

"We're close, right?" I asked Ruby.

"Yes," she said. She seemed stressed, and was unusually quiet. "Just a little further." She started off again, this time at a slow walk.

"Hey, Ruby, I don't mean to pry, but... what's out here?" I asked.

She didn't say anything for a minute as we kept walking. I was about to back away to give her some space when she spoke. "Nothing. Just...memories."

Memories? Memories of what? No, wrong question. Memories of _who_? Or is it whom? Never mind. Point is, person, not thing. Also, not a question I had a right to ask. "Okay then. You found me at the edge of a clearing, right?"

"Yes." She pointed to a break in the trees. "Right over there. Go ahead, take a look, I'll be back later." She vanished in a cloud of rose petals. I turned back to my team as they slowed to a stop.

"We're here," I said. "This is where I first appeared in Remnant."

* * *

><p>The logical question at that point was "now what?" I honestly had no idea. Best case scenario, I'd stumble across a portal that lead straight back to Earth, or maybe some mystical entity would appear to take me home, or maybe I'd stumble across something that would drag me into yet another dimension. I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting. What I got was absolutely nothing. It was a field covered in snow, and that wasn't going to change no matter how awkwardly I stared at it.<p>

"Sooo..." Lily said. "What are we doing here again?"

"I have no idea," I said. "Maybe we should search the clearing."

"Go ahead," Weiss said. "I'm just here to observe you." I hate it when she does that sickeningly nice act. It's much easier to deal with her just being nasty.

We spread out and swept the field. I had no idea what I expected to find, but anything could be important. I scanned the snow, looking for anything that seemed out of place. I dug out and turned over a rock that had been exposed, then put it back when I found it to be just an ordinary rock. I kept moving. Nothing.

"Kevin!" Rebecca's voice came to me from the other side of the clearing. "I think I found something, it's a small circle of-"

"What ever you do, DON'T TOUCH IT!" I shouted in sudden alarm. "I'll be right there!" I teleported to stand beside her.

It was a small circle of stones. Almost exactly like the ones that had brought me to this world. Almost exactly like the ones I still remembered in the occasional dream.

"Get the others," I said, breathless. "This...this could be it."

**A/N: This chapter was even harder to write than the last one, although this time I know why. I seem to have come down with a moderate case of I-don't-know-what-it-is-but-it's-unpleasant, which is kind of killing my drive to write. Hopefully I'll be better soon and regularly scheduled updates can continue.**

**To SilverstormXD, that's alright. If it's not your thing, I fully understand not wanting to read it, and the fact that you've stuck with the story for as long as you have means a lot to me. **

**To AnonymousGuestP, no Monty. I've never met the man so I have no intention of writing him in as a character. He's more like part of the scenery for this story. **

**To Random reader, Kevin has never met Cardin Winchester, he barely knows Jaune, and while he is very historically astute, he can't remember everything. **

**To Fourze, you're going to have to wait a while for that one. There is one planned, but not for a very long time.**

**That's all for this chapter, see you all next time.**


	44. Mission: Part Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

My team gathered around me as I stared at the seemingly innocuous circle of stones.

"Is this-" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," I said. "It's almost exactly like the circle that brought me to this world. There are a few differences, but it's basically the same."

"It doesn't look-" Lily reached for the circle but I snatched her hand away.

"First rule," I said. "Until we're absolutely certain what this is, no one touches it, not even me." Rebecca gave me a rather relieved look. "I'm excited about this, but I'm not that desperate. I'd much rather take the time to do things right than mess up and end up in an even bigger mess." I turned to David. "Can you see anything?" I asked.

He peered at the stones. "Aura, although it's very old and very faint. Dust, but only traces of it. There's also something else, but I couldn't tell you what it is. It's not like anything I've seen before."

"Interesting," I said. "Can you tell me what color the Aura is?"

"Black, but that's not uncommon," David said.

"No, it's not," I mused. Both Nyx and Blake had black Aura, and supposedly Pyrrha has black Aura too although I've never seen it. Conrad also has black Aura, and I'm fairly certain Doctor Byss's Aura is black too, although I only saw it on one very brief occasion. I stared at the stones. There were a series of...scratches? No. Not scratches. These were too regular, too deliberate. Not scratches. Symbols. Symbols, Dust, Aura, and something else that David couldn't identify.

"Lily, what would happen if someone with locked Aura were to touch some Dust?" I asked.

"Um, that depends. I suppose it could activate under the right circumstances, but it's not very likely. Why?"

"...I'm not sure yet." I had something, I was sure of it, but I had no idea what that something was. This entire set up was ringing bells, but I couldn't place it. "The one in my world activated when I closed the circle..."

"But this one's already closed," Rebecca said.

"Which means it's either active and we just can't tell, or it's a one shot thing that's been used up." I picked up some snow and rolled it into a ball before tossing it into the center of the ring. No reaction. I went broke a twig off of a tree and repeated the experiment. Nothing. I went back to looking at it.

"David, you said there was Dust in those rocks?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know what kind?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you that."

"Then let me try," she said.

"Lily, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm going to try to sense what's left of the Dust in those rocks. If we can find out what kind of Dust was in there, maybe we can figure out how it works."

"Alright, but be careful," I said.

Lily nodded and closed her eyes, extending her Aura into the rocks. "That's...weird," she said. "Those...aren't rocks."

"They certainly look like rocks," I said.

"They're not," Lily said. "They're Dust crystals, or at least, they used to be."

"What do you mean 'used to be' Dust crystals?" Rebecca asked. "When you use a Dust crystal it disappears."

"I know that," Lily said. "I did say this was weird. They're like Dust crystals but...empty. Like they've had all the power sucked out of them or something."

"Is that even possible?" I asked.

"It's not supposed to be," Lily said. "But someone seems to have done it anyways."

"Is there any chance of it actually doing anything at this point?" I asked.

"No," Lily thought for a moment. "This is like...those things bullets come in, the casings. Those things. The bullet and the charge are gone, but the casing's still here."

"So it should be safe to handle," David said.

"Yes."

"Good." I pulled out my scroll and took a series of pictures of them so I wouldn't forget their orientation, then gathered up the not-rocks and stuffed them into various pockets. "We're taking these things with us when we leave. I want to study them back at Beacon."

* * *

><p>We performed a second sweep of the field in case there was something else, but we didn't find anything. I could live with that. The ring that we'd found was an enormous stroke of luck, and maybe even enough to get me home, although that seemed unlikely. Ruby rejoined us as we regrouped at the center of the field.<p>

"What do you plan to do now?" Ruby asked, her cheerful nature having reasserted itself.

"I want to stop back at the cave for a moment," I said. Those not-rocks were heavier than I would have liked. "Then we continue with out official mission."

"You found something?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, but I don't have a way of studying it here, so I need to take it back to Beacon."

"That's great!"

"Yes. Yes it is."

* * *

><p>After a short trip back to the cave where I dropped off my new prizes we reconvened on the surface.<p>

"So, what now?" Ruby asked. Weiss had her note pad out and was watching us closely.

"Our mission here is reconnaissance," I said, "but David's pretty much got that covered all by himself. Our primary objective's already been achieved. That means we switch to the secondary objective. Extermination." My team nodded. "Between David's senses and my teleportation, we should be able to hunt down and destroy most, if not all of the Grimm in Never Spring."

"Then get started," Weiss said.

"With pleasure," I said. "David, where's our first target?"

* * *

><p>"You know, I don't see what everyone's so worried about," I said as I decapitated a Beowolf. "The Grimm aren't really giving us that much trouble."<p>

"Maybe the problems are somewhere else?" David suggested as buried the blade of his axe in another Grimm's chest.

"Never Spring is known to be fairly quiet," Lily said as she impaled her opponent through the heart.

"Still, you'd think we'd be seeing more enemies than this," I said as ducked under another 'wolf's claws.

"I think we have enough right here," Rebecca said as she lashed out with a kick to the offending Beowolf's kneecap and followed it up with a kick to the side of the head.

"Fair enough," I said as we both ducked under one of David's rockets. The Ursa behind us exploded.

* * *

><p>"Good work you guys!" Ruby said, stepping into the field of disintegrating Grimm corpses.<p>

"Thanks," I said. This was our fourth strike for the day as we picked off groups of Grimm. So far our score was about seventy Beowolves and twelve Ursai. A good day. I glanced up at the sky. "I think it's about time to head back though. It's going to be dark soon."

* * *

><p>We arrived back at the cave and reopened the entrance before filing back in. David handled dinner as the rest of us settled in. I pulled out the not-rocks to continue studying them. The markings were simultaneously fascinating and incomprehensible. I knew they meant something, and I felt like I almost knew what that something was, but at the same time it was just gibberish.<p>

Off in a corner of the cave I noticed Ruby and Weiss having an argument. This wasn't unusual in and of itself, but there was something off about their body language. I got the sense that this was an actual fight, not one of their usual altercations. I resolved to stay out of it if at all possible.

I kept looking at my not-rocks. I really needed a better name for them than that. Anyways, I was looking at them. The patterns were... aggravatingly familiar, despite the fact that I was pretty sure I'd never seen them before. It was like there was some memory buried somewhere in my head that included these things, but I couldn't access it. It was frustrating in the extreme.

Weiss got up and stomped over to the other side of the cave while Ruby sat looking somewhat dejected. Oh, wow. That was a first. That wasn't good. Oh, no. And of course, Lily decided to take this opportunity to head over to Weiss. I almost stopped her before changing my mind. She had to learn that idols seldom live up to your expectations someday. Hopefully Weiss wouldn't be too nasty about it.

I pulled out my scroll and brought up the pictures I'd taken of the ring. Clearly there was some purpose to the circular arrangement of the stones. I took two of the not-rocks that were supposed to be next to each other and compared the patterns. Interesting. Some of the patterns were repeated, but some seemed to almost... connect. Interlock. Combine. So each stone was independent, but needed the others to work? Makes sense.

Weiss was scolding Lily rather harshly. The slightly shorter and younger of the two white-clad women was cringing as Weiss's razor sharp tongue tore into her. Yep. Weiss was being nasty. Oh boy. I was going to have to talk with Lily. I put my not-rocks away as Weiss stalked off down one of the tunnels, heading back towards the entrance. Lily just sat, stunned.

I walked over to her. "You okay there Ice Princesslet?" I asked as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Don't call me that," Lily sniffed.

"Trouble with Weiss?"

"I never knew she was so..." Lily trailed off, utterly confused. The woman she'd looked up to for years had turned out to be vicious and petty. She was entitled to being a bit disoriented.

"Yeah, she's not exactly easy to get along with," I said. "I did warn you."

"You did, I just... I didn't think..."

"Take it easy there," I said. "Tell you what, I'll go talk with her. You go sit with Rebecca and David, tell them what's wrong."

"Right. Thanks Kevin."

"No problem," I said. Hopefully Rebecca or David could do a better job with this than me. Fallen heroes really aren't something I understand very well. Most of my heroes are dead. And now I had to go talk with Weiss. Well then. This should be interesting if nothing else. I stood and started walking towards the entrance, using my own Aura to provide light.

* * *

><p>I found Weiss in the dead end off from where we came in. She was sitting and glaring at the wall, ignoring me.<p>

"Hey," I said.

"Go away."

"Yeah, no. We need to talk."

"I said leave."

"And I said no. I'm not going anywhere until we talk."

"Fine!" She spun to face me, glaring. "You want to talk? Let's talk!"

"Sounds good," I said, sitting down across from her.

**A/N: No easy trip home just yet, but one step closer to learning the truth. That, and maybe Kevin and Weiss can clear the air a bit.**

**To the anonymous guest, it's certainly not uncommon, despite stereotypes saying otherwise. A lot of highly technical people enjoy low tech activities, if only as a way to get away from their normal day-to-day routine. Actually, now that I think about it, I and a lot of my friends fit that description... **

**As for Kevin and Weiss, they are both responsible for their antagonistic behavior. Weiss initiated it, but Kevin definitely perpetuated it, so they're both at fault.**

**To TehUnoman, that is a question that will be addressed later. **

**That's all for now. See you all next chapter.**


	45. Mission: Part Five

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

"Let me guess, you're mad at me for snapping at your teammate and now you want me to apologize," Weiss said in a preemptive strike.

"No," I said cutting her off before she could tell me what she though of that idea. "On at least one level, I'm rather glad that you did that. You taught her a valuable lesson that she needed to learn. Oh, I still expect you to apologize to her, but I'm not mad at you. There's no point. It'd be like getting mad at snow for being cold and wet. That's what you really are Weiss. Sure you look pretty, but up close you're all kinds of nasty."

"How dare you!" Weiss practically screeched. "I am one of the Huntresses assigned to this mission and I can send you back to Beacon!"

"Not without Ruby's approval," I said. "I checked. She outranks you. So unless you can convince her to send me back to Beacon, there's not much you can do to me."

"You..." Weiss trailed off into a series of unintelligible sounds. "You're going to regret this."

"Maybe, but I suppose I should explain why I'm doing this before you turn the might of the SDC upon me."

"Fine! Enlighten me!"

"I'm not mad at you for snapping at Lily. I'm pissed at you for being a complete witch to Ruby, the woman you love."

"What! I'm not-! I mean, I don't-!"

"Weiss, let's agree not to lie to each other for the duration of this discussion. I'll tell you the absolute truth if you tell me the absolute truth, deal?"

"Fine. Deal."

"Good. Are you in love with Ruby?"

"...Yes, damn you."

"Then why haven't you done anything about it? Why are you so unpleasant to not just her but everyone around you? Seriously, just tell her."

"And what do you get out of this?" Weiss demanded, her suspicious mind already looking for what I was up to.

"What do I get out of this? Well hopefully I get you off my back, and I get to make Ruby happy," I said. "She has feelings for you too you know."

"That's all you get out of this."

"Well I'm hoping to extort an apology to Lily out of you somewhere along the line, but those are my main goals, yes."

"Why?"

"...Because I love Ruby too," I said with a sigh. "Not in that way though. I love her, but I am not _in_ love with her. I want to see her happy, if only to pay her back just a little of what I owe her."

"You don't want a romantic relationship with her?"

"Heck no!" I said. "She's older than me by about six years, and that's not how I see her in any case."

"Then how do you see her?" Strange. I've never heard Weiss curious before.

"Weiss, do you remember the first month I was in Remnant, when I was living with you and Ruby?"

"Which part? The part where you ran around like a lunatic for two weeks trying to find a way home?"

"No, after that."

"You mean the week you spent sitting on the couch and doing absolutely nothing."

"Yes, that," I said. "Weiss, I'm prone to extremes, especially negative ones. At that point, it finally sank in just how thoroughly screwed I was. It wasn't a dream, there was no easy way home, and I was facing the possibility of never getting home again."

"So you broke down and did nothing for a week."

"No," I said with almost clinical detachment. "I slipped into a severe relapse of depression and was committing passive suicide. I wasn't doing nothing, I was waiting to die."

"Oh." It takes a lot to leave Weiss speechless. This did the trick quite nicely.

"I still had some issues that I never really worked out for myself. Childhood trauma, specifically loss of a parent, various other minor quirks, and the fact that I was an angsty sixteen year old added up to a giant emotional wreck. I was a kid who thought he was an adult and had just found out how wrong he really was. I needed, well, I needed a lot of things, but what I needed most at that moment was someone who gave a damn about me. Someone who cared."

"Ruby," Weiss said with sudden understanding.

"Yes. Ruby. She kept me alive by taking care of me. She dragged me out of my self-pitying wreck through sheer force of personality. She made me start living again. Everything I am now, everything I ever will be, I owe her for it. If you must know how I feel about her Weiss, she's the closest thing I have to a mother these days. She was there for me when I needed someone the most, and she didn't expect a thing in return."

"And you just want her to be happy."

"I'll never be able to repay her for everything she's done for me, but that's not how she sees it because she's a better person than anyone I've ever met. She helps people just because she can. She's kind and caring because that's who she is. She's brave and selfless beyond all belief. And she's better than either of us deserve. She loves you Weiss. Don't let her get away because you will never find a better person in all of Remnant."

"...I know. She really does deserve someone better than me."

"Well she doesn't see it that way, and in this case it's her opinion that counts," I said. "So, here's what's going to happen. You are going to go apologize to Ruby for whatever it was you were arguing about. You will then tell her how you feel about her, at which point she will deafen everyone in the cave with screams of joy. Once the ringing in everyone's ears has faded, you will then apologize to Lily for taking your frustrations with Ruby out on her. Got it?"

"And if she doesn't?" Weiss asked. "If she doesn't feel the same way about me?"

"I give that about a two percent chance at best, but if she doesn't then she doesn't," I said. "Only one way to find out though, so get to it. But don't tell her any of what I just told you, got it?"

"If you're lying to me..."

"Yeah yeah yeah, pain and suffering, I know. Just get moving."

* * *

><p>I rejoined my team, huddled around the fire. Lily was sitting in between Rebecca and David, looking a bit less traumatized. Hopefully Weiss would get around to apologizing fairly quickly, because I could already see the anger beginning to form.<p>

"Hey there," I said as I sat down across from her. "How are you doing?"

"Better," Lily said. "I didn't realize she was so..."

"You caught her at a bad time," I said. "Not to say she isn't vicious, entitled, and unpleasant, but you really had horrible timing."

"Really?"

"Yep. I've known them for almost four years, lived with them at several points, and I'm pretty sure Ruby thinks I'm her kid, but I've never seem them fight like that before. That wasn't one of their romantic tension arguments, that was an actual fight, and you caught Weiss before she could cool off. Even a normal person would have snapped at you in those circumstances."

"How did your talk with Weiss go?" Rebecca asked.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Weiss slowly making her way back to where Ruby was sitting. "Oh, not too bad. I put her off balance, made her furious, put her off balance again, and then told her the truth. Hopefully some good will come of it."

"You...deliberately...made her mad?" David asked.

"Yep," I said. "That's pretty much how I help people. Get them mad enough and they stop lying."

"Lying to who?" Rebecca asked.

"Me, themselves, anyone, it doesn't matter really. Bring out the truth and you have something to work with. It's not the most gentle of techniques, but it gets the job done."

"You're going to get punched if you keep that up," David said.

"Been there, done that," I said airily. "That just means it's working."

"You're insane," Lily said.

"Distinctly possible," I said, glancing over at Ruby and Weiss. Okay. Yep. "By the way, we should all cover our ears right about now."

"What?"

"Just do it." _Five, four, three, two, one._

The cave was filled with the echoes of Ruby's sudden squeal of delight as she tackled Weiss in a hug. The sound slowly faded and I removed my hands from my ears. "Ow."

"What did you _do_?" Rebecca demanded.

"Convinced Weiss to confess to Ruby," I said, wincing at the sudden headache. "Probably should have waited until we weren't in an enclosed space though."

"You _think_?" David hissed through clenched teeth. As usual he was hit the hardest by the noise. Super senses have their downsides.

"Oooooowwwww," Lily groaned, dazed. "Wha..."

"I have no sympathy for you on this one, Lily," I said. "Now you know how the rest of us felt when you had your epic squee over Weiss last semester."

"That huuuurrrrrtttttsssss," she moaned.

"I did warn you to cover your ears," I said.

"I haaaaaaaattttteeee you."

* * *

><p>I took the first watch again, choosing a spot where I could keep myself between the fire and all the possible entrances. Behind me I heard Weiss and Lily softly conversing, presumably Weiss giving her promised apology. I settled a little further into my seat as Weiss made her way over to Ruby. The red clad Huntress had moved their sleeping bags together while Weiss was gone. I smiled. About time they finally got together. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an even bigger betting pool on them than there was on Rebecca and me.<p>

Oh boy. So far I'd done my best to avoid thinking about that in the hopes that we could figure this out after the mission, when we weren't in danger. We needed to focus on the job at hand, not get distracted.

Yeah, right. I sighed. I was happy for Ruby and Weiss, but for all their differences, their relationship was so much simpler than any relationship I might have with Rebecca. Sure, they came from different kingdoms, but we came from different universes. Ruby and Weiss came from different backgrounds, but they had a lot in common. Rebecca and I had so little though. Could we make something work? Should we even try? I could still come up with lists of arguments against doing so.

"Hey," Rebecca said as she slipped in to sit beside me on my rock.

"Hey," I responded, moving over to give her some space.

"What's on your mind?" she asked as she settled in. The rock was a small one with barely enough space for both of us. Her arm brushed up against mine, warm against the cold of the cave.

"...nothing," I said honestly. I could still come up with lists of arguments, but I couldn't make myself care about them anymore.

**A/N: Hey, Whiterose! **

**On another note, you guys are amazing. MRLD broke ten thousand views! Yay! I wanted to have this chapter out in time to celebrate, but unfortunately I'm fairly certain I that I have the flu now, so it may be some time before I update again. Just getting this done was a pain.**

**To Silverstorm, okay then. Dark. **

**To the anonymous guest, I highly doubt you would recognize the symbols given that, assuming they are a language, said language is simultaneously using a pictogram based alphabet and what's basically a two dimensional version of a story knot. Story knots are, to the best of my knowledge, a fictional creation of the superb author Patrick Rothfuss, with no real world equivalent. Deciphering these symbols is going to take a _very_ long time, assuming it's even possible.**

**To Tommy2486, the puns will never stop, I don't have anything against the guy who owns Dust till Dawn, I'm just perpetuating the running joke, the ship has not sank, and yes Kevin is kind of torn, thus his breakdown in chapter thirty seven.**

**To Cyborg, yeah, kind of. **

**That's all for now. Hopefully I will recover at some point in the near future and the regularly scheduled updates can resume.**


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